Small Business Owner’s Journey: From Pandemic Closure to Thriving with Support from NYC Programs

I am not new to the small business world. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, he had worked in the restaurant and catering industry for nearly ten years. As you can imagine, when the pandemic was in full swing and all the events were over, a catering service was also needed. It had a devastating effect on my business, and I made the most difficult decision a business owner can make: I decided to close. Unfortunately, at the same time, this was the situation for many small businesses in the city.

In August 2023, after several years of being out of business, I returned to my passion and opened my company Georgi Caterer NYC. It wasn’t always easy, but it was worth it. While many small business owners who had to close during the pandemic have taken new paths for themselves, there are also many who are returning to the things that made them happy. New York City currently has a record number of jobs, and entrepreneurship is hot: 1 in 7 businesses were started last year, a rate four times higher than the average in 2019.

This progress is the result of several things: the resilience and cooperation of entrepreneurs, and investment in programs that support entrepreneurs and small business owners.

In autumn 2020, the five borough chambers of commerce launched the Small Business Resource Network (SBRN), a comprehensive approach to small business resilience. This program offers free personalized guidance and support to help businesses grow and succeed. To date, the Small Business Resource Network has reached approximately 50,000 businesses in New York City, directly supporting 13,000 of them, of which approximately 2,900 are in Brooklyn. 84% of these Brooklyn businesses were identified as women and minority businesses.

Funding from New York City allows Business Resource Network’s team of business support experts to work one-on-one with each small business owner. Specialists help connect businesses with a variety of programs and services offered by city, state and federal governments, as well as the private sector, including scholarships and loans, counseling calls legal, business coaching, marketing management, technology support and more.

This is especially important in neighborhoods not reached by Business Development Areas, which historically did not have easy access to these services. Business support specialists from the Small Business Resource Network are on the streets in neighborhoods across the city, helping to bridge this gap. This will be essential if we are to have a balanced economic recovery, with vibrant commercial corridors in the five cities.

The invaluable support I receive from the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce and the Small Business Resource Network has been a lifeline for my business. With your help, I have changed my business model to offer catering to the community, and I am back in business better than I was before the pandemic. His willingness to lend a hand in those difficult times changed my perspective. In addition, the opportunities I get from the connections of these two organizations are amazing. I have provided catering services for a number of events in the Chamber and they have been putting me in contact with new clients. This level of support is about fostering a community that encourages growth and innovation. It’s about understanding that every small business is unique, with its own challenges and opportunities. And it’s about recognizing that when we support small businesses, we’re investing in the foundations of our community, and for that I’m grateful.

Small business owners are resourceful, helping to drive New York City’s economic recovery. To move forward, we must continue to invest in programs like the Small Business Resource Network that support small businesses and entrepreneurs.

George Howell is from Panama, and is the founder and executive chef of Georgi Caterer NYC, located at 100 Willoughby Street in Brooklyn.