Small Business Rising by Sylvia Gail Kinard, Esq.

The October jobs reports indicated a mildly encouraging addition of 171,000 jobs nationwide. However, the jury remains out on what relief, weary Brooklyn residents might expect as New York continues to track behind the rest of the country in job creation and job growth. 

While the U.S. Department of Labor posts that the national unemployment rate is now 7.9% - the Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed that New York State's unemployment rat has hovered between 8.2% and 10% since August.  A fact echoed by the New York Times which reported that over the past 12 months New York has been the only state with a statistically significant increase in the unemployment rate.

The Fiscal Policy Institutes' report "State of Work in New York" indicated that since 2008, the city lost 60,000 jobs that paid more than $45,000 while adding 130,000 positions that paid less than $45,000.  While a net gain of 70,000 jobs, primarily in service industries such as restaurants and home health care, is a good thing, the continued erosion of middle class opportunity in this city is sobering to say the least.

Over the past 15 years, Brooklyn has lost many of its remaining manufacturing companies, which have been replaced by service based jobs in the clerical, retail and health care industries.  Retail and government are the second and third largest sectors in our borough.

As a small business owner, I'd like to see increased advocacy at the federal and local level for policies that reflect the realities of Brooklyn's economy and the importance of small businesses as an economic engine.  In New York City, over 51% of all private sector jobs are in small businesses with employees of 100 or less.

While the automotive and agricultural industries have rebounded, these are not businesses that benefit our region or employ Brooklyn workers.  Government is one of the largest industries in this region and securing the government "client" can be an important strategy for growing your small business.  Wouldn't it be great, if state and city government used more of the millions of dollars IT spends on goods and services to grow your business and put more Brooklyn residents back to work?

Local government officials need to know that your business wants a slice of the government procurement pie.  Pick up the phone and find out about RFP's (Request for Proposals) or becoming state and city certified as a MWBE (Minority Women Business Enterprise).  The mayor and city council begin budget negotiations in January for FY2014.  Will you be on their list to supply bottled water or office supplies to city agencies?  Your business can and should be competing for these lucrative contracts.

Both city and state government must do more to boost small business growth by changing procurement practices that favor big companies (sole source contracts) and level the playing field by improving access for the little guy (or gal).  And as my Grandmother Laura always said "you don't ask - you don't get!" For more information, check out: NYC Small Business Services (www.nyc.gov/sbs); Empire State Development Corp.' Small Business Services (www.esd.ny.gov/smallbusiness.html); or the NYS Small Business Development Center (www.nyssbcd.gov).  Please join our Facebook page "The New Nine."