Scaling Up for Small Businesses in Brooklyn

Brooklyn is experiencing an incredible boom in small business activity. the borough is home to roughly 50,000 businesses with 20 or fewer workers, and the number of these very small businesses increased by more than 40 percent since 2000.

But despite the surge in small business and start-up activity, relatively few of the small businesses in Brooklyn — and throughout the five boroughs — manage to scale up and achieve sustained growth. Changing this and helping more of the borough’s small businesses scale up, is an important opportunity to expand the number of middle-income jobs across the city and build wealth among neighborhood-based entrepreneurs.

Featuring a panel of Brooklyn-based entrepreneurs and small business experts, this form will explore the opportunity to turn more of Brooklyn’s great small businesses into medium-sized and large businesses. The first in a series of five forums across the city — with one in each borough — this solutions-focused discussion aims to better understand the challenges that inhibit the growth of local small businesses and the strategies that could be employed to help more of the small firms in Brooklyn to grow to the next level.

This event is generously supported by Santander Bank.

Confirmed speakers include:

• Noah Bernamoff, Founder, Mile End & Black Seed
• Nancy Carin, Executive Director, Business Outreach Center Network
• Eladia Causil-Rodriguez, Founder and Owner, Eladia’s Kids
• Edward G. Rogoff, Dean, LIU Brooklyn School of Business, Public Administration and Information Sciences
• Almata Zabsonre, Owner, Alma’s Hair Braiding

With introductory remarks from Council Member Robert E. Cornegy, Jr.

Attendance is free, but space is very limited. RSVP is required via email: rsvp@nycfuture.org.