Saving Small Business

I work every day with some of the hardest working small business owners in the city and I know the effort it takes to run a small business, and I see the effort it takes to run a small business while also navigating the labyrinth of rules and regulations that NYC government forces entrepreneurs to go through before they can even open their doors. The only entrepreneurs who can easily and efficiently navigate the NYC bureaucracy are those who are planning to open a law firm, otherwise forget about it. New York City has always been the incubator for small businesses that eventually grow and are exported to the world, but with oppressive city regulations when it comes to starting a business and oppressive zoning regulations, large chains are starting to creep in and dominate more of the city.

 

My solutions are:

1.Streamline the permit and licensing process so entrepreneurs can get their business started faster. Also I will seek to make sure all associated fees are eliminated, the city can make its money once a small business has been created and is generating revenue, not before.

2. Work with the Digital Transformation Team to create an easy to understand and access guidebook so entrepreneurs are aware of exactly what they need to get their business started.

3.FEE FREE NYC: A small business might pay anywhere between $5,000 to $10,000 before their first day of business just to the NYC government for things like permits and licenses. If we want a flourishing economy across all five boroughs we should not be collecting money from businesses before they have even had a chance to make their first dollar. If we eliminate all costs to the government for small businesses, the amount of new businesses that will start will make the loss of upfront revenue worth it.

4. Allow and incentivize developers to build smaller commercial spaces. This will help give new small businesses a place to get started with a lower rent than being forced into a large space. This will also prevent neighborhoods from being dominated by large chains. 
5. Reduce all the fines on small businesses. I already explained how difficult it is to follow all the rules and even to know about all the rules, burdening our small business owners with fines and penalties for mistakes instead of working with them to correct them is not the way to keep our economy strong. This includes street vendors, I will not allow the police of this city to continue to harass our most vulnerable entrepreneurs, destroy their inventory, and burden them with fines.

6. I will work to create networks and non-government organizations of small business owners so they can pull together their resources and knowledge to cut costs and grow their business.

7. Repeal occupational licensing requirements.

8. Helping NYC small venues (bars, music venues, comedy clubs, event spaces) keep their doors open by fighting for them to have lower insurance costs and lower rents.

9. Incentivizing developers to build more commercial spaces that can be sold and bought by small businesses so they can have more control of their destiny. 

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A lot of other candidates and politicians say they that they believe in and support small business, but instead of simplifying or eliminating the oppressive regulations for small business owners they propose spending more money hiring people who are experts at navigating the system. Instead of reducing building regulations to produce more commercial space with lower rents that are geared towards small businesses like artisans, craftsmen, bars, restaurants, etc the government would rather give out grants to help small businesses be able to afford spaces. New York City should be doing things that make starting and running a business less expensive, not spending tax money to help small businesses afford the unnecessarily high cost of running a business.