Seedco Helping NYC Entrepreneurs! Funding, Free Legal Advice, and More…
Below is a contributed article from Jeff Williams, informing you — Mindpetalers! — how his company can help your startup. Seedco and NYC Business Solutions are not sponsors of Mind Petals.
Let me begin by acknowledging that if three years ago I had I been aware of New York’s Business Solutions Centers, right at the time when I was experiencing the terrible difficulties and cold loneliness of running a business in the world’s fastest-paced city, most, if not all, of my problems would have gone away.
Just like that—gone away. I was unsure how to structure my business for optimal performance within its industry, and often felt like I was playing trial-by-error, day in and out; I had a hard time appropriately connecting with the emerging digital world; I had no clue that someone with my credit score still had funding options for my business’ growth; I had no idea how extensive NYC’s resources were for small business support, guidance, benefits and incentives—a list which, now, seems inexhaustible. Bottom line, my business could have been saved from failure long before failure occurred. Now, I work with the Business Solutions Center to help many of NY’s small businesses avoid these and many other issues that plague their operational health.
After playing an integral role in the post-9/11 re-structuring of the business community in Lower Manhattan, Seedco, a non-profit economic development organization, was contracted by the NYC Department of Small Business Services to offer assistance to community entrepreneurs and small businesses city-wide through the Business Solutions Centers.
Now, dreamers can turn into start-up companies, and young businesses looking to expand or grow have a support system to help them operate effectively at the next level. With a Business Solutions Center in every borough, and two in Manhattan (Upper and Lower), thousands of small business owners have taken advantage of the one-on-one, pro-bono technical assistance, below-market-rate financing options, and business development professionals on staff.
As a former business owner, I know how much time, effort and money can be exhausted getting legal advice, putting together the dreaded financial plan and outlook, hiring employees, searching for permits, licenses and regulations relevant to your industry, and trying to find money to build or develop your business to match what you have envisioned. Well, I am here to spread the wealth, figuratively and literally.
My colleagues and I are each dedicated to the small businesses of New York. We have a constantly updating series of workshops: Starting a Business; How and Where to Get Financing; Restaurant Owners and Managers BootCamp; Marketing for Small Businesses; Business@Home, and more—much more. I
f you are looking to recruit new employees, the Workforce1 program with Seedco pre-screens jobseekers per your needs, and the EarnBenefits program can provide them with free benefits, including healthcare and life insurance. If your company needs start-up money, needs to move to a new location, has to purchase new equipment, or just needs funds for working capital, we most likely can provide you with the wampum you seek or, at the least, help you find where the wampum is.
For my fellow Mindpetalers, please feel free to call or email and set up an appointment, or find a Business Solution Center in your area and stop in. As a one-stop shop, we’re here for you—all you have to do is come.
Visit online at www.nyc.gov/smallbiz to find the Business Solution Center near you. Jeff Williams is an ArtBusiness Account Executive at the Lower Manhattan Business Solution Center, operated by Seedco. He can be contacted at 212.618.8820, or jjwilliams@seedco.org
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