Small Business Week Resource Spotlight

By SLNext
In Uncategorized
May 2nd, 2023
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April 30 – May 6, 2023 is National Small Business Week! Last week we shared info on four great local workshops hosted by the San Leandro Chamber of Commerce. This week we are highlighting free resources and training available on the City’s website and through a key small business partner, the East Bay Small Business Development Center. A wealth of resources are available to help small businesses. Don’t miss out!

San Leandro Business Resource Guide

Information about a wide range of business incentives, financing and other resources and training is available to businesses free of charge on the San Leandro Economic Development Page.

The newest addition to the growing list of resources is recordings and materials from the City’s ongoing Technical Assistance Workshops. With the help of American Rescue Plan Act funds, in July 2022, the City launched an ongoing series of technical assistance programming aimed at helping small businesses optimize their success in a post-pandemic era. Topics covered include ADA compliance, hiring and developing employees, crime prevention, contracting with the city, and the building permit process.

The Business Resource section includes information about local and regional resources to help small businesses in a variety of ways. Resources such as SCORE East Bay can help to develop a business plan, the Alameda County Workforce Investment Board can help to find great employees, and ICA Fund Good Jobs helps businesses to ramp up, expand their business and hire new employees.

Information about local organizations providing financial assistance and loans to small businesses may be found in the Business Financing section. This includes our newest favorite resource – the Good Money Guide – which is produced by the Alliance for Community Development and not only provides links for funding sources, but offers a step-by-step guide for businesses to best place themselves to successfully get funding. The guide is available in English and Espanol.

And last but not least, information about the City’s long-running Business Incentive Program is also available on the ED Page. This program offers matching forgivable loans up to $45,000 to help businesses make exterior and interior improvements to their facilities. The goal of the program is to not only help make improvements to a business, but to spur additional investment and improvement in the surrounding areas as well.

Business Partner Highlight – East Bay SBDC

A key local resource for businesses is the East Bay Small Business Development Center (SBDC). The SBDC helps small businesses start stronger, be managed better, and grow faster in a dynamic and diverse economy. The East Bay SBDC provides expert, no-cost consulting on business planning, funding, marketing, management, technology, licensing, permitting, government contracts, and more.

In 2021, the organization counseled 2,327 small businesses and helped them access $57 million and create 671 new jobs. Businesses are encouraged to become a client by visiting eastbaysbdc.org or calling 510-885-4806.

East Bay SBDC is part of the Northern California SBDC network and provides both virtual and in-person training and workshops on a variety of topics. Subjects include:

  • Expansion and growth capital
  • Business planning and strategy
  • Financial reporting and planning
  • E-business development
  • Digital, social media, and other marketing
  • Human resource management
  • Legal and business issues

East Bay SBDC is working in partnership with NorCal Networks, Oakland African-American Chamber of Commerce, and others to address the challenges and supports the opportunities available to African-American entrepreneurs via the Inclusivity Project.

Connect with the East Bay SBDC by visiting eastbaysbdc.org or calling 510-885-4806.

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