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Taking Full Advantage of Small Business Pandemic Assistance

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The small business community has been severely impacted by the pandemic.  The financial assistance from the various levels of government has certainly helped but our next guest says that his experience working with small business owners through all of this has highlighted the importance of having a strong and supportive network already in place.

Mike Switzer interviews Dominik Mjartan, president and CEO of Optus Bank in Columbia, SC.

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After almost 20 years, Mike Switzer retired from Wells Fargo Securities in 2001 as Senior Vice President/Investment Officer and Certified Portfolio Manager. In 1999, he and his wife, Maggie, purchased and operated for eight years the Baskin Robbins ice cream store on Forest Drive in Columbia. They grew the store from a bottom-tier operation in the Baskin Robbins franchise system to one in the top 5% nationwide within three years, tripling sales along the way. While operating the ice cream store, Mike and Maggie received patents for a portable ice cream sink and fold-down sneezeguard they invented and in 2002 started Magnolia Carts, an ice cream cart manufacturing company, which they sold in 2013.