- October 14, 2026
Securing funding is often the earliest and most daunting challenge a small business owner faces. Fortunately, the Florida Small Business Development Center at the University of Central Florida is here to help.
The FSBDC supports small businesses as they grow by providing no-cost consulting, business training and market research. Helping clients access the capital they need is one of its most critical roles.
For Megan San Juan, owner and operator of the IMBing Lounge at 2 Concorde Lane in Palm Coast, the FSBDC proved to be exactly the resource she needed. The IMBing Lounge, which recently celebrated its first anniversary, is a community coffeehouse offering globally inspired, locally sourced coffee, food, and wine.
The IMBing Lounge has just been recognized as one of the 2026 Best of Florida Regional Winners – Food and Drink — in the Coffeehouses category. Only 10% of businesses are recognized.
“We roast our own coffee here,” San Juan said in a FSBDC press release. “We serve breakfast sandwiches all day and small plates at night. It’s a place to relax and linger over a really great cup of coffee or glass of wine, in a comfortable seat, where you can stay as long as you like. Nobody is going to rush you here.”
Turning her vision into reality, however, was not simple.
“Since I didn’t know where to start with my business, I reached out to the Palm Coast Economic Development Office and they recommended I reach out to Michael Oppenheim of the FSBDC,” she said. “Michael and I talked. The very first thing we did was my business plan. And to do my business plan we needed to do the financial projections. I believe that was the best tool that Michael has given me to really look at how to go about the business I wanted to do.”
Oppenheim is an FSBDC consultant dedicated to Palm Coast. He worked closely with San Juan to build the financial forecast required for her loan application. At the same time, he identified lenders who might be interested in supporting the new venture.
“That financial projection is what I used to build my business plan, which we in turn used to submit to all the banks for my small business loan application,” San Juan said. “We also met multiple times in different venues to discuss different strategies for operating the coffee lounge.
“Working with Michael during this journey was very easy,” she said. “It has been a good journey all around. And those financial projections that the FSBDC helped me with were really pivotal documentation that helped me get the loan I needed to make this business start.”
For more information about IMBing Lounge and a look at the menu, go to theimbingbrand.com
