Miramar entrepreneur Keymia Sharpe vividly remembers when she launched the Instagram account for her business, Key2MIA, in March 2019.
After seven years of taking people on tours of Miami, her following grew to 12,000 followers. Then something unexpected happened in July 2026.
She was hacked.
“It said that someone’s changed my password,” she said. “When I logged in, I would immediately get logged out.”
Sharpe is among many owners of small businesses who use social media platforms like Instagram to show their products and services, interact with customers and even collaborate with other businesses. But even with verification, business owners have to be careful, she warned.
“I don’t think people realize it’s not about the follower count, but I’ve also been able to get collaborations with brands and businesses,” she said. “Trying to re-establish those relationships can be very difficult. I still had tours that were launching and already in process.”
Miami-based audience development professional Ashley K. Jolicoeur, an Allapattah native, works with business owners to optimize their messaging across digital platforms. Jolicoeur said that having your own platform like an email list can help after a social hack or outage.
“A lot of times, you see not just when people get hacked, but when things get shut down,” she said. “Instagram or Facebook go down often.”
Citing the temporary TikTok shutdown of January 2026 as an example, Jolicoeur frequently recommends that business owners have their own direct ways of communicating with their customers.
“I recommend that people have an in-house platform whether that’s an email list or push notifications,” Jolicoeur said. “They’re just ways for followers to reach you directly. A lot of businesses don’t have a phone number but an email.”
Keymia Sharpe, far left, is the founder of Miami tour company Key2MIA. Her company’s first Instagram account was hacked. Courtesy photo
Another method of maintaining cybersecurity is a bit more rigid.
“From a prevention perspective, have a zero trust policy” said Mehran Basiratmand, Florida Atlantic University’s director of innovation and programs.
Basiratmand worked in information technology for nearly 34 years and worked for a company that was a Microsoft partner.
“Assume that any device or person can be a threat to an organization,” he said. “Deploy multi-factor authentication. Have a passkey or use a password to protect your assets.”
As artificial intelligence tools evolve at a rapid pace, Basiratmand said that asking AI like Microsoft Copilot, Google Gemini or ChatGPT can help determine whether a message or site is authentic. He also recommends looking at when social media profiles were created to determine whether they are real.
“If it’s changed names several times, it probably isn’t real,” he said.
Sharpe has a new Instagram account for her business and has picked up where she left off in posting content from her Miami tours. But this time, she is sharing the content across other social media platforms with different audiences. She is also blogging more and using her email list.
“I put YouTube on the back-burner and it’s important to make sure you’re spreading and diversifying your content and expertise in other areas so you don’t just focus on one or two,” she said.
With her original Instagram shut down, Sharpe has taken solace in the attention that her content has gotten on TikTok.
“It can work if you’re willing to invest time and effort,” said Sharpe, 43. “I have gotten such a good response and more than I anticipated.”
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Miami Herald
Michael Butler writes about minority business and trends that affect marginalized professionals in South Florida. As a business reporter for the Miami Herald, he tells inclusive stories that reflect South Florida’s diversity. Just like Miami’s diverse population, Butler, a Temple University graduate, has both local roots and a Panamanian heritage.