Battling the red tape ensnaring a small business

By Mike Switzer

Published April 1, 2022 at 5:30 AM EDT

Starting up a new business always involves a lot of work. There are the normal trials and errors that go with any new undertaking. And our next guest says there can be an enormous amount of red tape, as well. Mike Switzer interviews Robert Hughes, co-owner of Edingsville Grocery, a restaurant and tavern located on Edisto Island, SC.

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Mike Switzer

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.

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