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Making Your Career Work: Entrepreneurship
technology accelerator Element 46 and organizations like The Acceleration Project (TAP), which offers guidance to underserved small businesses, particularly those owned by women and people of color.
TAP takes a unique approach: it uses expert pro-bono consultants who work directly with businesses on things like improving margins and cash flow, streamlining operations,
and increasing sales. “We provide help with the business fundamentals so they can grow in a smart way and be profitable,” explains Tracy Jaffe, chief growth officer for TAP, which is based in Scarsdale. TAP works closely with area business groups, chambers of commerce, and municipalities — including partnerships with the cities of Yonkers, White Plains, and New Rochelle — to find ideal businesses that would benefit most from their services. The group, Jaffe explains, “has assisted more than 250 business owners in a deep, customized way over the last 10 years.”
It’s no wonder there are some 35,000 small businesses currently operating in Westchester. As Gibbons says,
“We have a very sophisticated population of people here who are always open to new ideas, new products, and new services.”
TOP RESOURCES FOR LOCAL ENTREPRENEURS
Community Capital New York: www.communitycapitalny.org
New York State Small Business Development Center: www.nysbdc.org
Professional Development Center at Westchester Community College: www.sunywcc.edu/continuing-ed/pdc
SCORE Westchester: www.westchester.score.org
The Acceleration Project (TAP): www.theaccelerationproject.org
The Business Council of Westchester (BCW): www.thebcw.org
Westchester County Association: www.westchester.org
Westchester County Office of Economic Development: www.westchestercatalyst.com
Women’s Enterprise Development Center (WEDC): www.wedcbiz.org
A DRIVER OF THE WORKFORCE OF TOMORROW
The Yonkers Industrial Development Agency (YIDA) provides financial incentives that have created economic development and job growth in the City of Yonkers. The incentives provided by the IDA have resulted in the creation of thousands of well-paying jobs in the construction trades for today’s new workforce.
To learn more about the Yonkers IDA, visit yonkersida.com or call (914) 509-8651
46 2022 SKILLS What’s Hot. What’s Next. What’s Needed.