My Miami Herald article: Miami needs to rebrand to attract young entrepreneurs, professionals
I’m so excited that the Miami Herald published my article about Miami needing a rebranding strategy. This article was inspired by recent business discussions about the struggle with living and doing business in Miami.
This article has brought me great attention and has even gotten me a few meetings. So once again this is me playing the role of serving as Miami’s Voice of Young Professionals. So enjoy the read and share your thoughts. Do you agree or disagree with what I said in my article?
Miami needs to rebrand to attract young entrepreneurs, professionals
BY FABIOLA FLEURANVIL [email protected]
Posted on Monday, 06.11.12
I love Miami! I’m a native, left to attend college and grad school and to work, and moved back 31/2 years ago. Since I’ve been back, I’ve been heavily involved with various young professionals groups, civic groups and the business community, and one thing has echoed loudly: Miami is missing something.
As a serial entrepreneur (one who starts more than one business), I, too, have concluded that Miami (and South Florida) lacks a strong start-up culture. We’re not nurturing enough to young entrepreneurs, and that’s coming from someone who moved from Atlanta and thrived thanks to that city’s nurturing of young entrepreneurs.
While recent reports have recognized our city for its strong small business community, I don’t think this translates into jobs that would be attractive to top talent. This is why competing cities have a “Brain Gain” on the back of our “Brain Drain.” We’re not competitive enough to attract talent. That’s because this hasn’t been Greater Miami’s main focus, but needs to be.
What our great city needs is a rebranding campaign. People love to visit for some fun in the sun, our beaches and our awesome nightlife, but this means little for attracting entrepreneurs, young professionals, investors (outside of Latin America), venture capitalists, and the like. Our current brand speaks little to this segment of people who have the potential to make a significant impact on cultivating an entrepreneurial economy.
What we need in a brand is to change the perception that Miami is only a place to visit and not a great place to do business. Simply put, we need to be more top of mind when it comes to business. We have to be just as competitive as other places like Boston and the West Coast, which are more attractive to our innovative entrepreneurs. And we need to be as competitive as cities such as Atlanta, Washington, Houston or those in the Northeast that better serve young professionals.
We have great organizations here that are doing amazing work in economic development and recruiting industries. But how much more efficient their efforts would be with a stronger, more synergistic and inclusive business brand.
Atlanta recently announced its efforts to brand the region as a global health center, and part of that branding campaign will most likely include a business recruitment and talent attraction strategy. Similarly, Miami has enough assets that could be better promoted by creating and competitively positioning a more inclusive start up, entrepreneurial, or whatever branded community we go for.
Perceptions of our business economy can be shaped through strategic messaging and by targeting events and conferences that attract the right people. A stronger, more defined business brand allows Greater Miami to import talent through business opportunities and education instead of simply through job offers.
We’re celebrated for our diverse culture, yet the cultures are not inclusive and don’t work together like they should. We need to change that mentality. We need to show the rest of America (and the world) that we mean business in Miami and that we want their business. And we need to attract more than just big business — we need innovative businesses. We need serial entrepreneurs. We need more investors and venture capitalists confident about opening up their fat accounts and investing in our entrepreneurial economy. More important, we need a central repository or gatekeeper of information and access for new businesses that start up here.
In a nutshell, the re-branding should be planned organically so that it’s sustainable. This also means that entrepreneurs like myself and others need to do our part in getting involved in cultivating this brand.
When major brands like Dell Computers come to our city to host a Miami Small Business Think Tank like they did recently, the room should be packed to capacity. When the Beacon Council unveiled its One Community One Goal strategic plan in April, I should not have been one of the few in the room who are under 40 years old. That’s why I found it absolutely necessary to launch the Miami100, a business incubator-like, invite-only network of 100 serial young entrepreneurs under 40.
Just like Greater Miami has some work to do in better positioning our metropolitan area to attract more business, small business owners, entrepreneurs, and anyone who cares about increasing access to opportunities in Miami must also do their part.
Fabiola Fleuranvil is president of Blueprint Creative Group.
Originally posted at: www.miamiherald.com/2012/06/11/2840160/miami-needs-to-rebrand-to-attract.html
Other recent articles I’ve written
South Florida’s brain drain: There’s work to do ‘Cash Mob’ a creative way to help local businesses: Young professionals look to ‘cash mob’ to help a small business
‘Cash Mob’ movement boosts local restaurant
Legacy Magazine 2011 Top 40 Under 40 Black Professionals of Today & Tomorrow in South Florida distributed in Business Monday section of Miami Herald
