Celebrate National Small Business Week – New-Dent Dental Lab
ACCION USA is celebrating National Small Business Week by spotlighting some of our clients and their businesses.
Like many of ACCION USA’s clients, Larry tells his story with an air of humility and pride. Thirty years ago Larry was building a career as a successful Wall Street financier. It was his pride and entrepreneurial spirit that lead him in a new professional direction when industry corruption kept him from making an honest living. With two young daughters to support, Larry sought work in the burgeoning dental field, beginning his new career path as a dental technician. In his early years Larry worked for a small company and designed dental molds out of tiny workspace.
Today, Larry owns New-Dent Dental Lab in Mid-town Manhattan, a venture conceived from years of hard work and the business savvy he learned on Wall Street. Larry’s laboratory is a true family business—his daughter, Dana, helps manage the company’s finances. Larry also employs 14 dental technicians who design and paint dentures, a unique combination of medicine and art. These days, it is unusual to employ an in-house staff of such size when competition within the industry is increasingly outsourcing labor. Perhaps it has something to do with New-Dent Dental Lab’s exceptional customer service. In fact, Larry still holds his very first business account from the first business he opened nearly 15 years ago.
Celebrate small business week with us and visit the New-Dent Dental Lab at 269 W 39th St #4. Also don’t miss the chance to meet Larry during the client tour at the 2011 Microfinance USA Conference on May 23 and 24th!
Celebrate National Small Business Week – Kahlua’s Cafe
ACCION USA is celebrating National Small Business Week by spotlighting some of our clients and their businesses.
Gladys Remache and her husband opened this authentic Mexican café after immigrating to New York City 14 years ago. Gladys had always dreamed of opening her own business and Kahlua’s Café , located in the heart of El Barrio in East Harlem, is the product of Gladys’ hard work and determination.
Gladys first approached ACCION USA for a small business loan 3 years ago in order to expand her restaurant by giving it a recreation area to attract more customers and increase her revenue. When Gladys approached a bank to ask for a loan, they told her that her credit history was not yet strong enough. The banker referred her to ACCION USA, where she received a $15,000 loan for expansion. Then when her business was in dire need of renovations, ACCION USA approved her for a loan for $25,000 in December 2010. “ACCION USA did more than lend me money, they helped me a lot,” explained Gladys, who took advantage of the business education programs offered by ACCION USA.
Join us in celebrating Small Business week and visit Kahlua’s Cafe at 2117 3rd Ave. Also don’t miss the chance to meet Gladys Remache during the client tour at the 2011 Microfinance USA Conference on May 23 and 24th!
Celebrate National Small Business Week – Arepas Cafe
ACCION USA is celebrating National Small Business Week by spotlighting some of our clients and their businesses.
Four years ago, Venezuelan-born Riccardo Romero opened up Arepas Café in Astoria, Queens. The restaurant was always popular with neighborhood locals and both Venezuelan and Colombian expats, who tend to disagree about who invented the signature griddled-corn arepa. Yet Riccardo’s dream is to run a chain of Arepas Café across the country.
Riccardo recently received a loan from ACCION USA through the Sam Adams Brewing the American Dream program in order to expand his business. The larger space, which adds fifteen to twenty more seats, lets him bring in a different crowd as well: neighborhood school kids, who are invited in groups two afternoons a week for a culturally eye-opening snack.
Celebrate small business week and visit Arepas Cafe at 33-07 36th Avenue in Astoria, Queens. Also don’t miss the chance to meet Riccardo Romero during the client tour at the 2011 Microfinance USA Conference on May 23 and 24th!
Celebrate National Small Business Week – Anne Mironchik
ACCION USA is celebrating National Small Business Week by spotlighting some of our clients and their businesses.
Talk about sticking with something you love – Anne Mironchik has been playing music for over 30 years! After graduating from the Manhattan School of Music in 1988, Anne started
teaching music to help support herself as she pursued her music career. She recently released a new album entitled Cookin in the Kitchen which includes her original work as well as the jazz standard “Laura” by Johnny Mercer. She was selected as a finalist with the UniSong International, which dubbed the demo version of Cookin’ in the Kitchen “…a juggernaut of a song!”
Anne runs her own production company, through which she released her most recent album. Anne’s loan from ACCION USA helped her with the production of this album. She also provides consulting and administrative assistance to two companies on a regular basis. Anne has recently started studying with jazz piano great, Mike Longo, and has really started to work on becoming a mature, accomplished jazz performer.
Celebrate small business week and check out Anne’s website to check out her music. Also don’t miss the chance to meet Anne Mironchik during the client tour at the 2011 Microfinance USA Conference on May 23 and 24th!
Celebrate National Small Business Week – La Fonda Boricua
ACCION USA is celebrating National Small Business Week by spotlighting some of our clients and their businesses.
What would make a man give up a Harvard Degree to run a small restaurant in the heart of East Harlem? Jorge Ayala purchased his current restaurant in 1996 because he could not watch this place of gathering for Puerto Ricans close down. His restaurant, La Fonda Boricua, has turned into a successful hub for Puerto Rican culture, music, and art.
Jorge approached ACCION USA for a loan in order to expand his restaurant to meet the increasing amount of customers. He was denied by other banks due to such a short credit history in the United States. Thanks to his effort and the ACCION USA loan, La Fonda Boricua has now become the hub he always dreamed of. “With the loan, we’ve tripled the seating and doubled our sales” says Jorge “Now I’m able to host frequent art shows and musical performances, accompanied with traditional authentic Puerto Rican meals that makes us so special.”
Celebrate small business week and visit La Fonda Boricua on E 106th St. (between Lexington and 3rd). Also don’t miss the chance to meet Jorge Ayala during the client tour at the 2011 Microfinance USA Conference on May 23 and 24th!
Department of Minority and Women-Owned Businesses adds Corporate Alliance Program
In addition to their government contractor certification, The M/WBE Program has launched the Corporate Alliance Program (CAP), an initiative that will connect City-certified Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprises to contracting and capacity-building opportunities in the private sector. The CAP program will match certified Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprises with private contracts, provide corporate skills training, and training for with the private sector. Read more about the program
How can the Division of Minority and Women-owned Businesses help your business?
By becoming certified as a Minority and Women Owned Business, you are eligible to receive increased opportunity for government contracts and financial assistance. Furthermore, by being listed in the Directory of MWBEs you will receive free advertising for your business. The MWBE Program can also provide you with courses on business, as well as one-on-one guidance on opportunities to sell to the government. If your business is 51% owned by a woman or an individual from a recognized minority group, you are eligible to become an MWBE. You also will receive exclusive invitations to networking events. You will also become a part of the Corporate Alliance Program (CAP Program). The CAP program will match certified Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprises with private contracts, provide corporate skills training, and training for contracting with the private sector.
Interested in applying for the MWBE program? Find out more information on ACCION USA’s website or call Karla Pineda at 646-833-4534.
Microfinance Week In Review: Week Ending May 13, 2011
Here is some of the latest news in the microfinance, small business, and green business sectors:
- “Microfinance USA Conference to Ignite Action for Consumer Protection and Increased Microfinance Services in the United States” – San Francisco Chronicle
Confidence among U.S. small companies fell to a seven-month low in April, damped by a deteriorating outlook for the economy, a private survey showed. The National Federation of Independent Business’s optimism index decreased to 91.2, the lowest since September, from 91.9 the prior month, the Washington-based group said today in a statement. Seven of the measure’s 10 components dropped. Read More
- “Small Business Week May 15 through May 21, 2011“ - Press Release
Our country started as an idea, and it took hard-working, dedicated, and visionary patriots to make it a reality. Successful businesses start much the same way — as ideas realized by entrepreneurs who dream of a better world and work until they see it through. From the family businesses that anchor Main Street to the high-tech startups that keep America on the cutting edge, small businesses are the backbone of our economy and the cornerstones of America’s promise. Read More
Microfinance Week in Review: Week Ending May 6, 2011
Large, publicly traded businesses have a vast array of options when they want to capitalize growth. Small businesses? Not so much. In fact, there are only three primary sources of growth capital for a small business: Read More
“Can Business Inspire Consumer Behavior Change?” -The Guardian
Over the last few years, the penny has finally dropped that consumers are not going to change their behaviour when it comes to a more sustainable pattern of consumption. Only about 20% are enthusiastic enough about green issues to put their money where their values are and demand greener products. So what is a green-minded company to do? Should it be brave enough to change itself and trust customers will follow? And how does it reach past that 20% of early adopters to engage the vast majority of customers? Read More