As a small business ourselves, we understand the power of well-designed support for business growth. Last year, we supported the NYC Department of Small Business Services’ Small Business First Initiative to help streamline the way the City interacts with business owners. A large component of our work focused on designing programs and resources that more clearly communicate rules and regulations and help business owners avoid common violations. Check out these supports now available:

• Compliance Consultations: business owners can schedule a free site visit with an SBS Adviser to learn how to comply with City rules and subsequently avoid fines, particularly when just starting out and being exposed to a wide array of requirements for the first time. According to reports from ABC 7, fines are down 40%!
• Sidewalk Usage Guide: SBS offers many regulation- and industry-specific guides to educate business owners. We collaborated on their new Sidewalk Usage Guide, which covers everything from advertising to selling goods, repairs to serving food. Call us biased, but we think it’s a great breakdown of how the sidewalk in front of a storefront can and cannot be used. Trust us, you’ll never look at a sidewalk café quite the same way once you know what it took to get it there.