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City Council Committees
Visit NYC Business Solutions Center
By Donna Lamb
The City Council Committee on Immigration and the
Committee on Small Business recently conducted a tour of the Department
of Small Business Services’ NYC Business Solutions Brooklyn Center.
This agency has proven itself to be one of the best resources
the City has to offer.
Meeting the committee members and various other
City Council staff at the door was the agency’s director, Kelvin
Collins, who showed the visitors around the offices, introduced them to
managers of several departments, and, in general, familiarized them with
their services that help immigrant and other small business owners
obtain the knowledge and assistance necessary to start,
operate and expand in New York City. All of the
services are provided free of charge, regardless of the size or
stage of the business.
Following a tour of the offices, they all convened
in a conference room where Lindsey Carpenter and Kelvin Collins further
discussed Business Solutions’ services, which include:
Business courses – including in several
languages other than English – to teach skills necessary to reaching
one’s business goals
Legal review of contracts and leases with a
network of lawyers offering pro-bono services
Financing assistance to help identify
lenders, package loan applications and increase the chance of
receiving a loan
Incentives to save money as the business
relocates, expands or makes capital improvements
Assistance in understanding and navigating
government regulations and meeting business requirements
Recruiting of employees through a ready pool
of screened job candidates
Training employees to improve their skills
and increase the quality of the business operations
Help in accessing government contracts
Assistance in completing the application
process to become a Minority/Women-owned Business Enterprise.
As Account Manager Carlos Russell explained,
in its almost seven years of existence, NYC Business
Solutions’ customized services have helped over
12,400 entrepreneurs and small business owners
throughout the City reach their goals. Its services can be accessed at
centers throughout the five boroughs, through their website at
www.nyc.gov/smallbiz , or by
calling 311.
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