NYC Department Of Small Business Services Partners With Harvard   

To support New York City’s small business-focused economic recovery, the New York City Department of Small Business Services today announced a collaboration.

The collaboration is with the Harvard Business School Club of New York Small Business Partnership Initiative (SBPI) to deliver free, individualized consulting services to local business owners.  

Volunteer Harvard Business School alumni coaches will work virtually and one-on-one with local small business owners. Through the partnership, coaches will lend their experience in management, finance, banking, marketing, sales, human resources, and information technology to support the development and growth of local small businesses from Harlem to Hollis. 

“Running a small business is incredibly hard work by folks that employ hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers and generate billions of dollars in economic activity for our city every year,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. “We want to support these entrepreneurs in valuable ways and teaming them up with Harvard Business School alumni — who have expertise in everything from HR to data analytics — for free consultations is a definitive way to achieve that goal and produce success. I’m excited to see where this will take New York City’s small businesses, which are the lifeblood of our economy.” 

“Small businesses are the fabric that holds New York City together,” said Maria Torres-Springer, Deputy Mayor for Economic and Workforce Development. “Partnerships like this one with the Harvard Business School Club will help forge a path to a full economic recovery for our small businesses. We appreciate all the generous alumni volunteers who are stepping up to support our city’s entrepreneurs.” 

“We all have a stake in ensuring an equitable economic recovery – and by supporting the small businesses at the heart of our communities, we can,” said Kevin D. Kim, Commissioner of the NYC Department of Small Business Services. “SBS is committed to bringing small businesses valuable services and resources to help them grow and thrive. We are grateful to the generous Harvard Business School alumni doubling down on New York City’s small businesses by lending their time and expertise to offer free, one-on-one business coaching.”  

“The Harvard Business School Club of NY Small Business Partnership Initiative (“SBPI”) is very proud of our work serving the NYC small business community, first helping impaired businesses during the COVID pandemic, and today with a more expansive community mandate,” said Richard Kane, co-chair of SBPI. “We are pleased to support the SBS effort to help NYC small businesses with our free coaching service by HBS alumni.”   

SBPI will focus on established businesses that are working to generate sales and businesses owned by full-time entrepreneurs located in the New York Metro area. There are no industries that are excluded.  

Business owners will be referred to SBPI for consultation through SBS’s Business Solution Centers located throughout the five boroughs. Business owners will be allotted up to 3 free, virtual coaching sessions based on need.

For more information, those interested can call 888-SBS-4NYC (888-727-4692).