Page 47 - Skills 2022

Making Your Career Work: Entrepreneurship
STARTING A BUSINESS IN WESTCHESTER:
TIPS FOR ENTREPRENEURS
SBY AMY ROACH
tarting a business as a woman over 50 with English as your second language is never an easy task. Trying to do that in the middle of a global pandemic sounds downright impossible. But Gabriela Baumatz, founder of Alchimista Spiked Ice Cream, is proof it can be done
— as long as you have a good idea, the right resources, a willingness to do lots of hard work, and a supportive business community like the one here in Westchester.
Baumatz, an Argentinian entrepreneur who moved
to the U.S. just five years ago, began tinkering with her grandmother’s ice cream recipes during the COVID lockdown, adding booze to make them fun and unique, and got rave reviews from friends and family. Today, Baumatz operates Alchimista Spiked Ice Cream from a commercial kitchen in Mamaroneck and has a full calendar, selling her concoctions through pop-ups, farmers’ markets, and event planners. She counts the support from the local community as one of the best assets of starting a business here.
“I think because so many businesses were closing during the pandemic that people were happy to do whatever they needed to support a new business opening,” Baumatz explains. “Even other businesspeople — some in the same industry as me — were so receptive to helping me as I went through this process.”
Joining the Business Council of Westchester (BCW) was one of her best moves, Baumatz says: “The networking opportunities have been so great.” Run by President and CEO Marsha Gordon, the 1,000-member BCW is one of many local organizations whose mission is to help foster business opportunities and growth. (See box on page 46
for more resources.) “We are proud of the robust resources we have available to local small businesses, from business development opportunities to networking to education and councils devoted to helping businesses thrive,” says Gordon. She describes Westchester as a “very warm, welcoming, and inclusive place to do business,” and believes “opportunities abound here for entrepreneurs who are willing to invest
time and resources in their business ideas, create strategic alliances, and develop a network of contacts.”
‘A FULL SUPPORT SYSTEM’ FOR ENTREPRENEURS
At the county level, Director of Economic Development Bridget Gibbons oversees a department that is devoted to giving Westchesterites a chance to thrive in business. Its premier entrepreneurship initiative is Launch1000, an online business training and mentorship program that was developed during the quarantine portion of the pandemic. It helped 218
new businesses — everything from a moving company to an Italian pasta import business to a barber — launch during its first cohort in 2021. (The second cohort is currently underway, and will also include a Spanish-language program.)
“We provide our ‘Launchers’ with everything they need to take an idea and turn it into a business,” Gibbons explains. Launch1000 consists of seven phases, including things like putting together a business plan; conducting test marketing; mapping out inventory, labor and supply needs; and planning a financial model. “The program includes training, live workshops, networking experience, and a full support system of coaching and mentoring,” she adds.
For graduate David Brezler, owner of construction project management and data analytics firm Brezler, LLC, “one of the best parts about the Launch1000 program was the relationships I built with others in the program; I’ve remained close with a number of people from my cohort,” he explains. Brezler and
a fellow Launcher are also managing a Mastermind collective for several Launch1000 graduates who work in professional services and want to stay in touch for ongoing support.
During Brezler’s first year of business, he also found help from the New York State Business Development Center, SCORE, and the local Procurement Technical Assistance Center, among others.
More mature businesses will also find a supportive community in Westchester, with resources like the county-sponsored
What’s Hot. What’s Next. What’s Needed. 2022 SKILLS 45
© Courtesy of Alchimista Spiked Ice Cream