Some of the bravest people in Tampa Bay are small business owners.  These hearty entrepreneurs invest their passion, their hope, their time, and, of course, their money despite the odds.

According to the Small Business Administration (SBA), the good news is that 80% of small businesses make it through the first year. After that, though, only about half will make it to their fifth anniversary. Even fewer, 33% will keep their doors open for ten years.

CBInsights performed an analysis to determine the top ten reasons small business owners fail.  I have included the entire list. But, of particular importance, is reason #8, "poor marketing". This subject will be discussed in more detail because this is where advertising on Tampa radio stations can help business owners not to fail.

How big does a small business need to be before it can afford to advertise on Tampa radio? The owners of Ana Delicias Bakery will be the first to tell you: size does not matter.

Ana Delicias Bakery in Tampa is not just a small business. It's a tiny, family-owned business with big ambitions. Advertising on local radio is helping the business raise the dough to grow.

"Radio advertising is not an expense for us, It is an investment," says Paula Tavarez who co-owns the bakery with her cousin Ana Lizardo. "That investment has paid off."

There are more than 200,000 small businesses in Tampa Bay.  Each of them is competing for a share of the $54-billion area consumers will spend this year.

To succeed, the US Small Business Administration (SBA) recommends that to succeed, every local business consider advertising. 

In May 2008, Susan and Jose Moreno opened Moreno's Bakery with three employees in a 2500 square foot storefront in Brandon.

"We were lucky to do $100 in sales per day back then," says Ms. Moreno. "Eleven years later, we now serve 600-1000 customer per day and have 50 employees."

Ms. Moreno cites her husbands baking skills and her advertising instincts for the success of their Tampa Bay small business. Ms. Moreno further credits a mix of cable TV advertising and commercials on Tampa radio stations with Moreno's Bakery's incredible growth trajectory.