SBS Launches Citywide Tour, Showcasing Resources For Entrepreneurs And Business Owners

Today, the New York City Department of Small Business Services (SBS) announced the details of its 2024 NYC Business Solutions Center (BSC) Crawl.

Which will bring BSC services and resources directly to entrepreneurs and small business owners in neighborhoods across all five boroughs. The crawl will include visits from SBS’s innovative Mobile Unit, or “Mobie,” which serves as a mobile command center for SBS, and features free Wi-Fi, printing, and other services.

Entrepreneurs seeking information on how to grow or launch their business are encouraged to attend any of the BSC Crawl locations listed below. Business owners interested in a free, in-depth one-on-one consultation may sign up using this form.

Resources available through each BSC and at each BSC Crawl stop include:

• Government navigation assistance through the NYC Business Express Service Team (NYC BEST)
• Help securing, renewing, or negotiating an existing commercial lease through the Commercial Lease Assistance Program
• Emergency planning and risk assessment from disasters through the Business Preparedness and Resiliency Program
• Financing assistance and capital access, including the NYC Funds Finder online marketplace
• Minority- and Women-owned Business Enterprise (M/WBE) Certification application support
• Workshops and webinars on topics ranging from how to open, operate, and grow a small business to marketing, financial management, and more
• Pro bono legal services and consultations related to business incorporation, employment, and intellectual property
• Hiring assistance through SBS’s NYC Workforce1 Career Centers

“SBS has so many free resources and services that can benefit the city’s entrepreneurs and small business owners, and too many small businesses in the city do not know about these tools,” said Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development, and Workforce Maria Torres-Springer. “Kudos to the SBS team for continuing to identify novel ways to reach these businesses and spread awareness about how the city can help them grow.”

“At SBS, we believe in reaching New Yorkers where they are,” said SBS Acting Commissioner Dynishal Gross. “We are throwing the doors of our NYC Business Solutions Centers open wide to bring the resources SBS provides daily right into our city’s neighborhoods. With our innovative Mobile Unit, we are meeting New Yorkers face-to-face in their communities, and ensuring that economic opportunity finds everyone, no matter where they are.”

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The first stop on the 2024 BSC Crawl will be on September 17. Events will run through October 8.

The full calendar is:

• Tuesday, September 17, 2024: Queens BSC, 90-27 Sutphin Boulevard, Queens
• Thursday, September 19, 2024: Brooklyn BSC, 9 Bond Street, Brooklyn
• Tuesday, September 24, 2024: Upper Manhattan BSC, 361 West 125th Street, Harlem, Manhattan
• Thursday, September 26, 2024: Lower Manhattan BSC, 14 Wall Street, Manhattan
• Tuesday, October 1, 2024: Washington Heights BSC, 560 West 181st Street, Harlem, Manhattan
• Thursday, October 3, 2024: Bronx BSC, 400 East Fordham Road, Bronx
• Tuesday, October 8, 2024: Staten Island BSC, 120 Stuyvesant Place, Staten Island

The BSC Crawl builds on the record achievements of the administration that took place as New York City regained all of the private sector jobs lost during the COVID-19 pandemic and saw the largest number of small businesses in its history, with one in three created since 2022. Since the start of the administration, SBS has facilitated more than $265 million in funding to businesses, saved businesses more than $45 million by cutting fines and fees, educating businesses on business compliance, and implementing a one-time liquor license fee; and connected more than 45,000 New Yorkers to jobs through SBS Workforce1.

In the last year, the SBS Outreach team participated in more than 100 events across the city, bringing SBS resources directly to the people and neighborhoods that need them most, leading to more than 10,000 personal engagements since the start of 2022.

“It is essential for us in government to ensure that small businesses have access to resources provided by New York City’s Small Business Services,” said New York City Council Member and Chair of the New York City Council Committee on Small Business Oswald Feliz. “This mobile unit tour will help us reach business owners and entrepreneurs all throughout the city in order to provide vital financial assistance and services.”

“As an advocate for small businesses, it is important to bring resources such as the NYC Business Solutions Center directly to the community,” said New York City Council Member Kamillah M. Hanks. “Resources like financial assistance, lease negotiation support, and business planning are essential for helping small businesses thrive. The SBS Business Solutions Center Crawl will ensure that Staten Island small business owners are aware of and can take full advantage of these vital services, helping them to grow and succeed.”

The NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS)

SBS helps unlock economic potential and create economic security for all New Yorkers by connecting New Yorkers to good jobs, creating stronger businesses, and building vibrant neighborhoods across the five boroughs. For more information on all SBS services, go to nyc.gov/sbs, call 888-SBS-4NYC