The Small Enterprise Growth Heart at Jamestown Neighborhood Faculty has witnessed a big enhance in small enterprise startups within the area over the previous yr. Dr. Courtney Curatolo, director, believes 2023 can be a “nice yr” for small companies within the area. Pictured, from left, are Dan Hickman, Scott Miller, Courtney Curatolo, Heidi Woodard, Beth Reed and Brian Rovegno.
Submitted photograph
The Jamestown area has skilled a rise in small enterprise growth over the previous yr, main native enterprise advisers to forecast a “nice yr” in 2023 for small companies.
Requested whether or not the Small Enterprise Growth Heart at Jamestown Neighborhood Faculty has witnessed a rise in small enterprise developments over the previous yr, Dr. Courtney Curatolo, director, mentioned “with out query” the SBDC has “completely” seen a rise in small enterprise startups and developments within the area all through 2022.
“We’ve had lots of people coming in now that we’re transferring previous COVID-19, and folks actually getting boots on the bottom with their concepts and forming these concepts for startup companies,” Curatolo mentioned.
Primarily based on the info collected by the SBDC, Curatolo believes a number of components have contributed to the rise within the area’s small companies over the previous yr.
One of many predominant causes Curatolo mentioned there was a rise in small companies is the have an effect on of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“If somebody was laid off due to the pandemic or for another cause within the final two years, a variety of them have mentioned, ‘You recognize what, that is my likelihood to enter enterprise for myself. I’m gonna go after that concept that I’ve been brewing in my head for some time,’” she mentioned. “These persons are taking the leap into small enterprise, and a variety of them are being very profitable.”
Curatolo mentioned the tip of the yr and the beginning of the brand new yr is one other issue that contributes to elevated curiosity in folks beginning small companies. She mentioned the SBDC helps “a variety of shoppers” throughout January and February as they implement their New 12 months’s resolutions of beginning new companies.
As small companies enhance within the area, Curatolo mentioned the SBDC is obtainable to assist small enterprise house owners turn into profitable. She defined the SBDC is a free service for any small enterprise with lower than 500 staff.
All through the state of New York, there are 22 Small Companies Growth Facilities. The Native SBDC serves companies in Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and Allegany counties. Whereas Curatolo mentioned a lot of the native places of work are situated in Jamestown, she mentioned the SBDC has outreach places of work in each Dunkirk and Olean. The SBDC can be planning on increasing its operations in Allegany county in 2023.
“We have now 4 licensed enterprise advisers, they usually may also help with something from marketing strategy growth, monetary projections, placing collectively a advertising and marketing plan, serving to to begin an internet site, implementing e-commerce into an internet site,” Curatolo mentioned.
The SBDC additionally has an internet enterprise academy with a wide range of programs which are free to look at at any time. The SBDC additionally presents two paid certification programs in social media and entrepreneurship necessities.
A number of the SBDC’s free on-line programs stemmed from the COVID-19 pandemic, when Curatolo mentioned the SBDC realized that many native companies both didn’t have an internet site or didn’t have an internet site that was correctly designed for e-commerce.
“They weren’t able to pivot right into a expertise world for his or her enterprise in the beginning of COVID-19,” she mentioned. “We developed two lessons that we provide free of charge, they showcase how you can create an internet site on totally different platforms, how you can implement e-commerce from totally different platforms into your web site.”
Along with the SBDC’s on-line programs, Curatolo mentioned the group additionally supplies one-on-one coaching alternatives.
Heading into 2023, Curatolo mentioned she is “actually excited,” as she believes 2023 can be a “nice yr” for small companies within the area. In response to Curatolo, the SBDC is planning on getting “again to fundamentals” after the COVID-19 pandemic by prioritizing enterprise outreach alternatives and making a distinction in native communities.
“Previous to COVID-19, we have been actually doing a variety of outreach into totally different communities, working with a variety of minorities and we had a variety of social concepts popping up in numerous libraries across the area,” she mentioned. “Our purpose in 2023 is to essentially get again to those concepts that we had going into COVID-19. Our boots are going to be on the bottom as a substitute of in our distant places of work and our properties and our workplace house.”
Curatolo mentioned it can be crucial for the SBDC to be “out in the neighborhood” and showcase the number of providers which are freely accessible for small companies within the area.
Whereas Curatolo believes 2023 can be an “thrilling” yr for the SBDC and native small companies, she acknowledged that small companies proceed to face many challenges.
Between state laws, authorized points, state and federal restrictions, tax info and human useful resource considerations, Curatolo mentioned small enterprise house owners typically should handle many considerations on the identical time.
“I believe the largest challenge is that as a enterprise proprietor, it’s important to put on 10 totally different caps and it’s important to know a little bit bit about every considered one of these,” she mentioned. “The nice factor is that our advisers can actually assist in totally different areas.”
Whereas every small enterprise will not be totally educated or totally geared up to deal with each facet of enterprise, Curatolo mentioned the SBDC supplies providers to assist stroll small enterprise house owners by every technique of growing native companies.
Curatolo added that the SBDC has a enterprise allow middle to assist Chautauqua County companies work by the method of acquiring the mandatory permits and licenses required to personal and function companies. She defined that it may be troublesome for companies to remain up to date on the newest legal guidelines, restrictions and laws relating to the enterprise group. With a purpose to alleviate this stress, the SBDC companions with native companies to lift consciousness for any modifications that should be made for companies to stay in compliance with native, state and federal restrictions.
For small companies within the free providers supplied by the SBDC, Curatolo mentioned the Jamestown location’s web site (www.sbdcjcc.org) and the net enterprise academy’s web site ( sbdcbusinessacademy.com/) are good locations to begin.
“They’ll name us or they’ll go to our web site,” Curatolo mentioned. “We have now a variety of sources on our web site; we are also lively on Fb and Linked-In, to allow them to all the time go to our Fb web page.”
Curatolo mentioned the SBDC is at the moment putting an emphasis on the usage of social media as a “essential half” of the small enterprise group. She defined that social media has supplied a chance for the SBDC to “showcase” varied small companies within the area.
Whereas all the pieces the SBDC does to assist small companies is confidential, Curatolo mentioned the group may also help native companies with some advertising and marketing alternatives on the SBDC’s Fb web page and different social media platforms.
“I don’t need to be one of the best saved secret of the group,” she mentioned. “I would like everyone to know we’re right here to assist. We’re free and confidential, and we’ve got so many consultants on our staff which are there to assist.”
