TRENTON (SBN) — Women-owned businesses account for 39.6 percent of business ownership in New Jersey, which is above the national average of 20.9 percent, according to the 2021 U.S. SBA Small Business Profile Report. Female business owners often face hurdles when growing their business – including financing, hiring, scaling, finding commercial space and accessing available incentives. What many people don’t know is that there are state resources that help companies overcome these challenges and become profitable.
Joining SBN News Director Steve Lubetkin on this episode of SBN Newsmakers show is Melanie Willoughby, executive director of the New Jersey Business Action Center (NJBAC), who outlines the services available to small business leaders in New Jersey.
Watch the interview in the player below.
For example, the NJBAC recently helped SpectraSpray Global LLC, a Morris County-based women-owned and operated health and wellness business. The company worked closely with the NJBAC to access grant funding acquired through the New Jersey State Trade Expansion Program (NJSTEP), a federally funded program facilitated by the Office of Export Promotion. With the grant funding, SpectraSpray was able to market internationally and recently announced a distribution partnership with UA-PHARM, a Ukraine-based pharmacy with over 80 locations.
“I never imagined that the support received from the New Jersey Business Action Center would help to export my product,” shared Janet Ryan, founder of Spectra Global LLC. “The guidance and support of the NJBAC team opened up a whole new world for me. I look forward to exporting my product to additional countries with the team’s continued assistance.”
In addition to grants, the NJBAC provides immediate mentoring assistance. The NJBAC works with companies, like Don Ricky Columbian Bakery, to secure important certifications.
Don Ricky Columbian Bakery, an Elizabeth-based bake shop that has been in business over 40 years, worked through the NJBAC to obtain its Small Business Enterprise (SBE) and Minority/Women-Owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) certification status in New Jersey. The NJBAC also assisted with navigating the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s process for qualifying for concession space at Newark International Airport.
“The help received from the small business advocates at the NJBAC was a key component of getting me the correct information and connecting me to the right people as I worked through the process of applying for concession space at Newark International Airport,” said Sandra Rojas, managing director of Don Ricky Columbian Bakery. “I’m ecstatic about the services that I received from the NJBAC in making our business aspirations and dreams come true.”
The NJBAC also helps New Jersey women-owned businesses obtain free or low-cost technical support through its financial partnership with the NJ Small Business Development Centers. They also maintain a working relationship with the Women’s Center for Entrepreneurship Corporation (WCEC) and The Latin American Economic Development Association, Inc. (LAEDA). The WCEC assists North Jersey businesses and the LAEDA covers the South Jersey region.
The NJBAC’s in-depth understanding of all the state’s programs and permitting laws can help female CEOs and entrepreneurs formulate sound and effective solutions. The NJBAC offers resources to business owners, covering everything from choosing a company name, to payroll and tax issues.
To reach the NJBAC small business advocates, please visit nj.gov/state/bac/request-a-meeting, call our 24/7 information line at 1-800-JERSEY-7. The NJBAC also provides a live chat feature where businesses can speak with experts, Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET. To access the live chat, visit: www.business.nj.gov.
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Steve Lubetkin is the news director for StateBroadcastNews.com. Steve’s journalism background includes print and broadcast reporting for NJ news organizations. He refocused on multimedia journalism and podcast production after a long career in corporate branded journalism and public relations.
He has won numerous awards for his audio and video news reporting from the Garden State Journalists Association, and he has also been recognized for video by the New Jersey Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. He has produced a wide range of audio and video podcasts in his other role as managing partner of State Broadcast News’s parent, The Lubetkin Media Companies.
Steve is co-author, with Toronto-based podcasting pioneer Donna Papacosta, of the book, The Business of Podcasting: How to Take Your Podcasting Passion from the Personal to the Professional.
In March 2021, he was elected to the board of directors of the New Jersey Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, and in July 2021 he was named secretary of the chapter. In August 2021, he was honored by SPJ with one of the organization’s 2021 Howard S. Dubin Outstanding Pro Member Awards, given to regular members of an SPJ chapter who go above and beyond in serving their chapter.
Steve has been the computer columnist for the Jewish Community Voice of Southern New Jersey, since 1996.
Steve also has reported on-camera and produces virtual conferences for NJSpotlightNews.org, a public policy news coverage website focused on New Jersey government and industry; and for clients of StateBroadcastNews.com, a division of The Lubetkin Media Companies LLC.
From May-November 2019, he produced and reported a weekly podcast, The CRE News Hour, a news and features program focusing on the commercial real estate industry.
From 2014 to 2019 he was New Jersey and Philadelphia editor for GlobeSt.com and filled in covering Chicago/Midwest and Atlanta.
Steve has also served (from August 2017 to March 2018) as national broadcast news correspondent for CEOReport.com, a news website focused on practical advice for senior executives in small- and medium-sized companies.
Earlier in his career, Steve reported on rock music at the Jersey Shore for the Asbury Park Press, and was a broadcast news anchor and production engineer for WJLK-AM & FM, then owned by the Press. He also worked as a general assignment reporter for the Red Bank Register, Shrewsbury, NJ.
You can email Steve at steve@statebroadcastnews.com.
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