Miami-Dade County has many programs to support small businesses and Manny Cid, asst. director for the Miami-Dade County Strategic Procurement Department, described some of them to the Miami Lakes Chamber of Commerce on March 11.
Whether it’s helping Mom and Pop firms launch with legal, staffing and marketing advice to winning bids for county contracts, Cid, a former town mayor and council member, said there are people and programs available to guide those with good ideas.
“Last year, we were the number one county in the country for the most entrepreneurs,” Cid said. “For every 100,000 residents, there were close to 5,000 applications for new businesses in the county.”
Financing The Rise Miami-Dade Fund lends up to $75,000 at low rates to small businesses operating for two years and with a 620 credit score, among other requirements, he said.
“Last year we helped 262 businesses and invested $10.4 million into the ecosystem,” Cid said. “In every single commission district, we had dozens of businesses we were able to help.”
Permits Applicants will eventually not have to go to Miami to meet a permit reviewer and will instead be able to use a county kiosk in their city hall, Cid said.
Doing business with the County It can be lucrative to have a county contract, but businesses must be ready with the paperwork for their applications to become certified. If a business becomes certified and wins a contract, it must be ready to deliver services or have a reliable supply chain, he said.
“Last year we put up close to $12 billion worth of contracts in Miami-Dade County,” Cid said. “Some of these contracts are long term. … If you’re able to get a Miami-Dade County contract you can utilize that to talk to other cities in the country, and they can piggyback off of that.”
The county provides just about anything an entrepreneur may need, Cid said.
“We have partners that will do your business plan for free, there is a whole suite of services you might need, we have it,” Cid said. “From money to help you scale your business through technical assistance programs.”
The county also has a mentorship program that will partner a small business with a larger company that may be qualified for a county contract.
For more information about becoming a county supplier, to review contracts awarded or see open bids, go to Supplier.MiamiDade.Gov.