Business Toolbox

Developing A Business Plan

The Small Business Administration has an excellent site for developing your business plan.  Use this link to the SBA website and follow their instructions.

Business Solution Seminars in Alden, NY

• List is being updated –

News & Information

Attention: Small Business Owners

• New Federal Overtime FMLA/FLSA regulations go into effect December 1st, 2016.
• Overtime Overview  For more information on the Overtime Final Rule, click here
• Fact Sheet: Family & Medical Leave Act.  For more information on the Family and Medical Leave Act, visit the Wage and Hour Division Website.

Small Business Association (SBA) Resources

A.  Starting and Managing Your Business
B.  Loans and Grants
C. Federal Sector Contract Business Assistance
D. Online Learning Center (Online Training, Videos, etc.)

SCORE Consultation Sessions

A.  Mentoring – Free 1 on 1 Sessions located in the Chamber Office.

Business Advice and Mentoring

SCORE’s more than 11,000 business experts provide you with free, confidential, ongoing mentoring, counsel, advice and business guidance by sharing real-world advice and know-how. Our mentors come from every business sector and have substantial skills. The 50+ business volunteers in the Buffalo Niagara chapter live and work in the 8 Western New York counties that we serve. We have many decades of real business experience to share with you. For example we can:

• Help you start a business
• Advise on writing a business plan
• Answer a business question
• Solve a business problem
• Advise on how to obtain business funding
• Help you grow your business
• Be a part of your business advisory group
• Assist you in being a successful entrepreneur

Use this link to book a Buffalo appointment online using our SCORE-cast Client Appointment system.

To arrange a meeting outside of the Erie and Niagara County Region:

• For Allegany, telephone Belmont (585-268-7605) or Wellsville (585-593-5080) or Houghton (585-567-9200)
• For Cattaraugus (Olean, 716-372-6607)
• For Genesee (Batavia, 585-343-9550)
• For Orleans (Albion, 585-589-5335)
• For Wyoming (Wyoming County Chamber of Commerce, 585-237-0230)

B.  Local Workshops
C.  Online Workshops
D.  Tools and Templates

Buffalo State College Small Business Development Center

The Buffalo State College Small Business Development Center enjoys a reputation as the business plan experts, but that is just one of the services we offer.  Through direct counseling, the SBDC provides a wide range of management and technical assistance services including:

• Business plan development
• Small business start-ups
• Organizational structures
• Accounting
• Financial planning
• E-commerce
• Export assistance
• Cost analysis
• Loan information assistance
• Marketing
• Human resources
• Employee training

To learn more, make an appointment today.
Seminars & Classes
Research & Economic Development

Workforce Development

The Erie County Workforce Development Consortium, administrative arm of the Buffalo & Erie County Workforce Investment Board, is basically a matchmaker between companies and job seekers.

Companies seeking qualified job applicants can avail themselves of a wide range of business solutions designed to assist companies interested in maintaining a highly skilled and competitive workforce.  Business Services include specifically: employee recruitment and screening, job outplacement services, on-the-job training placement/funding, specialized assistance for start-ups and expansions, and tax credit assistance.  Services are provided through the Buffalo Employment and Training Center (BETC) and the Erie County One Stop Service Network.

Individuals seeking employment can avail themselves of free assistance at the two One Stop Career Centers in Erie County designed to provide a full range of assistance to job seekers, including obtaining proper attire for job interviews through donated business apparel.

WorkSource One

Dream It Do It, Western New York, was formed to increase the skilled workforce pipeline entering manufacturing careers by connecting companies with local schools, offering teacher/counselor work experiences, and fostering manufacturing internship programs.  For more information, click the link or contact Susan D. Witt [email protected] or Todd Tranum [email protected].

Erie County Industrial Development Agency

The Erie County Industrial Development Agency (ECIDA) is a quasi-corporation formed for the good of the community and is not funded by any County, City or State taxes.  They offer businesses several programs:  tax incentives, loan programs ($5,000 – $2 million), bond financing (non-profits and schools), venture capital funding (high tech), brown field development, foreign trade zones, and management of two short-line railroads.

The Agency currently offers tax incentives (sales tax abatement, property tax abatement) on expansions and new builds primarily to companies that are renovating, expanding and bringing in more jobs; to job creation industries such as manufacturing and life sciences; and to adaptive reuse projects where a developer may wish to revitalize abandoned vacant land or historic properties with issues such as asbestos abatement.

They also offer micro loans $5,000 – $50,000 available for any industry type and can be used for working capital, supplies, new equipment, advertisement, primarily growth-oriented purposes.  The business must first be declined by a bank usually due to collateral, credit score, etc. in order to be eligible.  For larger macro loans of $50,000 to 2 million, the ECIDA will partner with a bank and take the subordinate position.  The bank may fund 70 percent of the project with the ECIDA funding the other 30 percent, matching bank terms with no pre-payment penalty.  The ECIDA works together with banks to help businesses expand and bring jobs to the area.   Find out more about what the ECIDA can do for your business.  Visit  www.ecidany.com or contact Beth O’Keefe, Beth O’Keefe, Business Development Officer, (716) 362-8374 or email: [email protected].

ECIDA Brochure

Chamber Members Offering FREE Consultation

The following members are offering a FREE 30-minute no obligation consultation for you and your business:

Banking

Commercial Insurance

Financial

Legal

Marketing/Promotional