By Courtney Curatolo, Phd and Heidi Woodard
Did you know the definition of a small business in the United States is any business with under 500 employees? The United States ranks number one in the world in terms of entrepreneurship. According to Census.gov nearly 5.4 million new businesses were registered in 2021. The federal government supports small businesses from the idea stage to grow stages through the US Small Business Administration and their resource partners such as SCORE and the Small Business Development Centers throughout the state of New York and the rest of the country. These resources are free to all small businesses.
Small business and entrepreneurship play a central role in our daily lives, but you may not realize how large of a role it plays. Small businesses employee nearly half of all workers in the United States. These businesses pay taxes that contribute to the infrastructure of their community, fund local youth sports, charities, and other nonprofits. There are so many ways small businesses integrate themselves within their community.
Entrepreneurship is often considered the backbone of the American economy. If you did a quick Google search you would find there are 31 million entrepreneurs in the United States alone! This means roughly one in ten people in the United States is an entrepreneur. It is exciting to realize how many people had an idea or a dream and went for it. Entrepreneurship is a dream for many of us, but not everyone knows where to start. Owning and operating a small business takes a lot of time, knowledge, and passion. Understanding the ins and outs of small business may seem overwhelming. You may feel like you don’t know where to start. However, this is where the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Jamestown Community College can help.
The Small Business Development Center at JCC serves Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and Allegany counties. The SBDC delivers high quality business counseling and training to clients looking to start a business or improve the performance of an existing business. Certified business advisors provide free and confidential services to any small business in the region. Advisors provide guidance on business plans, financial projections, cash flow management, marketing, loan and grant applications, minority and women certifications, website development, ecommerce, and so much more.
In addition to delivering business counseling, the SBDC at JCC recently created the Entrepreneurship Essentials certification course. This course was created with the support of a grant from the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation. The certification is fully online and focuses on entrepreneurship for businesses in New York State. The $195 certification is provided by Jamestown Community College with six modules that provide essential information regarding entrepreneurship basics, product design, accounting and financial, legal issues, market research, and human resources. These six modules give potential entrepreneurs a strong foundation into to the realm of operating a small business and becoming an entrepreneur. The SBDC at JCC also provides other free courses on the Online Business Academy found at https://www.sbdcbusinessacademy.com/.
For more information about the Small Business Development Center check out www.sbdcjcc.org or call 716-338-1024.