NEW YORK CITY Civic Building Blocks for Successful Small Businesses

NEW YORK CITYCivic Building Blocks for Successful Small Businesses

New York New Belfast Conference

June 10, 2010

Robert Walsh, Commissioner

NYC Department of Small Business Services

New York City Profile

• Neighborhoods: 300• Population: 8.1 million• Foreign Born: 36%• Languages Spoken: 180• Square Miles: 321.8• Population per Square Mile: 24,886• Miles of Subway: 660• Employment: 4 million+• Private Businesses: 220,000• Restaurants: 20,000+

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Creating an Agency to Serve Small Business

As a former small businessman himself, Mayor Michael Bloomberg has emphasized the role that small businesses play in shaping New York City’s economy.

Soon after coming into office, he created the Department of Small Business Services —the first agency of its kind to be dedicated entirely to serving New York City’s small businesses.

“Entrepreneurs are trying to create jobs and business as usual from government is just not acceptable.”

- Mayor Michael Bloomberg January 20, 2010

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http://www.nyc.gov/html/om/html/2004a/state_city_2004.html

Civic Building Blocks for Small Businesses

Increase Businesses’ Voice in Government

Reduce the Cost of Doing Business

Develop Business Networks that Work

Improve the Effectiveness of Programs

4Storefronts along Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn


NYC Business Solutions Centers

The Mayor asked SBS to develop a blueprint for how to serve small businesses. SBS started by asking businesses what they need. At the top of the list:

Business Courses Legal Assistance Financing Recruiting Employees Training Employees Incentives M/WBE Certification

Accessing capital to start and expand Finding qualified workers Navigating government regulations

SBS built a suite of services, NYC Business Solutions, around the actual needs of businesses to help them start, operate and expand:

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Bronx

Brooklyn

Lower ManhattanQueens

Upper Manhattan

Washington Heights

Staten Island

Each year NYC Business Solutions provides no cost, customized services to help over 9,500 entrepreneurs and small business owners reach their goals. In 2009, NYC Business Solutions:

Facilitated 404 loans for our customers, helping them to access over $22 million in financing through partner lenders. On track to facilitate over 600 loans in 2010.

Provided 4,000 customers with free business courses like Business Planning Basics, QuickBooks and Mastering Marketing.

Saved 262 customers an average of $2,000 on legal fees associated with structuring businesses and reviewing contracts and leases.

Helped businesses train 865 employees to advance employees’ skills and wages while making businesses more profitable and productive.

Resolved issues and answered questions for more than 1,000 businesses needing help with permits, licenses, regulations, incentives and other government requirements.

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Teofila Agruda, owner of Royal Deli at the Office based in Queens, saved ~$2,000 in legal fees by using our network of pro-bono attorneys to legally structure her business


To start and operate a business in New York City, you must obtain multiple permits and licenses from dozens of city, state, and federal agencies.

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NYC Business Express is an online, one-stop resource where you can quickly and easily learn about licenses, permits and other government requirements for doing business in New York City.

The NYC Business Express Wizard allows customers to plug in information about their business and it provides up-to-date information and step-by-step instructions for meeting government requirements to start and operate in NYC.

For the first time, customers can apply for new licenses and permits online; 33 online applications are available today.

The NYC Business Express Wizard

The NYC Business Express Incentives Estimator allows customers to assess eligibility for 45 city, state, and federal incentives.

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The goal of NYC Business Express is to make it possible for customers to completely manage their relationship with the City of New York online:

Learn of all government requirements and incentives

Apply online – providing information to the City only once and when it’s needed

Access an online “account” with information about their business (status of permits, taxes owed, outstanding balances, inspection dates)

Eliminate in-person steps, minimize required paperwork, and coordinate start-up inspections

Visit us at nyc.gov/businessexpress

Success Story: Johnny Celestin, owner of La Perle Noire Café in Harlem, used NYC Business Express to obtain permits to open his restaurant.

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NYC Business Express allows businesses to focus on what’s really important: opening their doors, generating revenue and creating jobs.


64 Business Improvement Districts (BID)

16 Industrial Business Zones

2 Industrial Ombudsman Areas

9 Workforce1 Career Centers

7 NYC Business Solutions Centers

In 2009, NYC’s BIDs invested nearly $98 million in services in their districts and employed 1,000 sanitation and security workers.

Under Mayor Bloomberg, 20 new BIDs have been created, 18 of which are in boroughs outside of Manhattan.

Developing Business Networks:

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Commercial Revitalization Programs

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Avenue NYC is a capacity-building initiative designed specifically for non-profit economic development organizations. The Avenue NYC program provides organizations with funding in specific commercial revitalization project areas and the technical assistance needed to implement successful programs.

In 2009, Avenue NYC invested $2 million in support of the commercial revitalization activities of 40 organizations in the following program areas:

Business Attraction

Business Improvement District Formation

Façade Improvement Management

Neighborhood Economic Development Planning

District Marketing

Innovative Economic Development Initiatives Church Avenue in Brooklyn

Times Square: Before and After

Impact of Effective Business Networks:


Union Square: Before and After

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Small Business Services

Supports the formation and growth of small businesses by providing business assistance, fostering

neighborhood development, and promoting economic opportunity

Department of Employment

Provides access to employment and training resources to help

jobseekers in NYC

The Department of Small Business Services

Supports economic growth in NYC by directly supporting

businesses, strengthening the NYC workforce to meet

businesses’ needs, and by connecting businesses to

jobseekers

In July 2003, Mayor Bloomberg eliminated the Department of Employment and consolidated the City’s adult workforce programs with the Department of

Small Business Services to make workforce development efforts more effective by linking them to economic development initiatives.

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Workforce1 Career Centers, operated in each borough of the City by leading non-profit and for-profit service providers, offer free employment and training services to jobseekers and businesses. In 2009, our Career Centers placed New Yorkers in more than 25,000 jobs.

Mayor Bloomberg visits the Hunts Point Workforce1 Career Center.

Workforce1 Career Centers

Bronx

Brooklyn

Manhattan

Queens

Staten Island

Hunts Point

Healthcare Center

Manufacturing Center

Transportation Center

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• When SBS took over the City’s adult workforce programs, 3 Workforce1 Career Centers were placing New Yorkers in 127 jobs per quarter.

• In October to December 2009, the Workforce1 Career Centers placed New Yorkers in 7,800 jobs.

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1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

8000

9000

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

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Quarters

Total Number of Placements

Q1127 placements

(2004)

Q246,896 placements

(2009)

Investing in Sector Work:

• Workers engaged in sector initiatives are more likely to earn higher wages, experience greater career advancement and hold jobs with benefits.

• Businesses involved in sector initiatives report improvement in retention rates, productivity and greater worker skills.

The Transportation Career Center launched in Jamaica, Queens in June 2008. To date, the Center has made more than 1,679 placements and 538 promotions.

The Manufacturing Career Center launched in Downtown Brooklyn in December 2009. The goal of the first year is to secure over 200 job placements or promotions and train over 160 people.

The Healthcare Career Center launched with LaGuardia Community College in Queens in October 2009; the Center has made over 134 placements and 23 promotions.

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Learn More

To learn more about SBS

visit us at:

nyc.gov/sbs

NEW YORK CITY Civic Building Blocks for Successful Small Businesses

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