REGISTRATION OPEN: CITY OFFERS NEW BUSINESS COURSES IN MULTIPLE LANGUAGES TO IMMIGRANT ENTREPRENEURS

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, April 15, 2019

Contact: Catherine Tenuta, SBS Press Secretary - ctenuta@sbs.nyc.gov, 212-618-8768

REGISTRATION OPEN: CITY OFFERS NEW BUSINESS COURSES IN MULTIPLE LANGUAGES TO ASPIRING AND ESTABLISHED IMMIGRANT ENTREPRENEURS

New Courses Will Be Available to Over 5,000 Entrepreneurs This Year

New York – NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS) Commissioner Gregg Bishop today announced that registration is now open for new business courses available to over 5,000 entrepreneurs, with a focus on aspiring and established immigrant entrepreneurs. The courses, including a 5-course Introduction to Entrepreneurship series and 6-course Digital Marketing series, will offer new culturally-competent curricula tailored to the needs of immigrant communities. Throughout the year, courses will be offered in multiple languages including Spanish, Mandarin, and Russian.

This announcement was made today, during the City’s Immigrant Heritage Week, at the Chinatown Manpower Project, which will be hosting courses in Chinese beginning in July 2019. To register now for upcoming courses, visit nyc.gov/businesscourses.

“Since nearly half of small businesses owners across the city are foreign-born New Yorkers, our local economy thrives when immigrant entrepreneurs thrive,” said Gregg Bishop, Commissioner of the NYC Department of Small Business Services. “With the launch of these new courses, we are committed to ensuring that New York City remains a city of opportunity for all.”

“Immigrants are a critical part of entrepreneurship in New York City. They own 52% of the city’s businesses and, in 2017, contributed about 22% of the city’s Gross Domestic Product,” said Bitta Mostofi, Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs. “SBS’ new multi-lingual business course offerings signal to immigrant entrepreneurs that the city is committed to supporting them on their journeys to become business owners, and to celebrating the diversity that makes this city great. Thank you to SBS and its partners for bringing this to fruition during Immigrant Heritage Week.”

“New York City’s diversity is our greatest strength, and to guarantee that diversity is reflected in our economy we need to give everyone, especially minority and women-owned businesses, a fair shot,” said NYC Comptroller Scott M. Stringer. “I commend the launch of these new courses to help immigrant entrepreneurs get a seat at the table as part of our ongoing efforts to make this City a fairer and more equitable business environment for all.”

"These culturally-competent curricula will help put NYC immigrant entrepreneurs on the pathway to success," said NYC Council Member Daniel Dromm. "The challenges facing immigrants in the world of business are vast. This initiative will help these hard working New Yorkers overcome many of the obstacles they will face throughout their careers. I applaud SBS for offering these valuable courses and investing in our city's immigrant entrepreneurs."

“REDC would like to thank SBS for its steadfast commitment in supporting immigrant entrepreneurs, who are the lifeblood of New York City’s most dynamic neighborhoods,” said Jessie Lee, Managing Director of Renaissance Economic Development Corporation (REDC). “Our staff worked hand-in-hand with SBS to help design a curriculum that is both linguistically and culturally relevant to the communities REDC serves. We were pleased to collaborate with SBS on this project, building on our long-term partnership and shared mission -- ensuring that small business owners have access to critical training resources no matter what language they speak.”

“CMP BOC has helped entrepreneurs start or expand their businesses since 1992,” said Hong Shing Lee, Executive Director of Chinatown Manpower Project. “We are excited to bring additional resources and information to the community with this partnership with SBS.”

Courses will be offered at SBS’ network of seven NYC Business Solutions Centers and other partner organizations located across the five boroughs. Introduction to entrepreneurship courses will help aspiring entrepreneurs develop a business plan based on market research, operational organization, and financial analysis. Digital marketing courses will assist entrepreneurs at any stage with creating a marketing strategy and mastering digital marketing tactics, including building a website, social media marketing, and email marketing. Instruction will be tailored to the needs of the different immigrant communities based on the language of the course. Translated curricula will include the following:

Terminology more closely associated with terms used in respective languages;

Lessons on cultural differences in customer service between native countries and New York City; and

Examples familiar and relevant to the community to illustrate business concepts.

These new courses were funded by Capital One and offered through a partnership with Renaissance Economic Development Corporation.

About the 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, visit nyc.gov/sbs, call 311, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.