Tamarac Commissioner Offers Growth Advice for South Florida Women Entrepreneurs

Women-owned businesses are a significant part of South Florida's economy. According to 2023 U.S. Census Bureau data, more than 46,000 female-owned businesses operate across Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties combined.

With October marking National Women's Small Business Month, WLRN's Sofia Zarran spoke with Tamarac City Commissioner Krystal Patterson, who is also a business owner, about the role these companies play in local communities and what advice she has for women starting out. "To get to the next level, you have to be able to understand where your power rests," Patterson said.

Patterson founded and leads H.E.R.S. Consulting, a firm that helps municipal organizations improve their processes, policies and procedures. She spent her entire career in state and local government before leaving local government a few years ago. She said she launched the company largely on faith, without a clear picture of what it would become. Today the firm offers services ranging from administrative support to full operational support, strategic planning and training, and has helped restructure government departments as an outside partner.

She said women often have a natural instinct to make their community feel welcome in their business, but that same instinct can hold them back. Many, she said, find it hard to open their business to others because they believe they can control it best. "It's our baby," she said. Citing research she had done, Patterson noted that Florida has about 1.4 million women-owned businesses, which make up nearly half of the small business sector, yet only about 8% have staff.

To address that gap, Patterson is hosting a women's business breakfast called P.O.W.H.E.R. on Thursday, October 29, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Colony West Golf Club. The event is meant to connect women with business advice and professional services, and it is open to women across South Florida.

It will also include a contest, P.O.W.H.E.R. Pitch: Put Your Business on the Table, limited to women entrepreneurs who meet Tamarac residency requirements. Participants can present their businesses, gain visibility and compete for business-building resources and prizes. First place earns $2,500.

On the question of funding, Patterson pointed to city programs. Tamarac offers a $5,000 micro-grant, with residents eligible for a larger amount than non-residents, provided the business is in the city. A tenant build-out grant of up to $100,000 is available to owners bringing a business into Tamarac to develop a brick-and-mortar space. She said many business owners do not know such money exists, so funds often go unused because people do not apply. The city has no program aimed specifically at women, but it gives preference on contracts to women-owned and minority small businesses.

Her advice for aspiring owners was simple: start. "Don't overanalyze the process," she said, suggesting a first step might be choosing a name, opening a bank account or writing down a vision. She also warned that marketing costs, competition from larger companies and the need to find a niche are challenges newcomers often underestimate.

Patterson said she never had mentors, though she tried to find some, and does not consider them essential given the free information available online. She encouraged struggling entrepreneurs not to give up. "Push past your natural limitation, because there's always more," she said.