Encore
Entrepreneurship Events in Utica and Ithaca in August
The
U.S. Small Business Administration and AARP are partnering to host “Summer
of Encore Mentoring” educational events for older Americans who want to
start or expand small businesses.
“AARP
has been a great partner in helping encore entrepreneurs not just to
retire, but also to rewire,” said SBA Administrator Maria Contreras-Sweet.
“These entrepreneurs more often have the experience and wisdom to reach for
their dreams of running a small business, and we want to help them reach
that dream and change the world."
The
SBA Syracuse District Office will partner with AARP, Mohawk Valley Small
Business Development Center, Utica SCORE, and the Women’s Business Center
of NYS to present a free Encore Entrepreneurship event at the Radisson
Hotel in Utica from 6:00-8:00 p.m. on August 11. Register here.
With
AARP, Binghamton Small Business Development Center, City of Ithaca,
and Tompkins County Area Development, the SBA Syracuse District
Office is cosponsoring a free Encore Entrepreneurship event, Too Young to
Retire, at the Coltivare Culinary Center in Ithaca from 8:30-11:30 a.m. on
August 13. Register
here.
The
“Summer of Encore Mentoring” is part of a joint initiative by the SBA and
AARP to promote entrepreneurship among individuals ages 50 and
older. The “Summer of Encore Mentoring” events will also help connect
encore entrepreneurs with mentors from the SBA’s resource partner network
of Small Business Development Centers
(SBDCs), Women’s Business Centers (WBCs), and SCORE chapters who can help with every
stage of a business’ life cycle.
A
survey of 1,400 business owners who incorporated their business in 2012
found that two-thirds of respondents over age 60 had previously started a
company. Ten percent of these entrepreneurs had even started five prior
companies. Small business owners with long-term counselors see bigger
sales, hire more workers and have more longevity.
When
Chris Dambach was eight years old, his father’s assignment in the U.S. Army
changed and the family was relocated from Syracuse, NY to Virginia. Dambach
found he could make money by selling cold cans of soda at nearby
construction sites. After his soda-filled summer, Dambach spent the fall
catching crawfish in creeks to sell to friends as pets and to fishermen as
bait. His third venture was selling candy to other kids on his
bus-eventually drawing the ire of the school principal when lunch money was
used to buy candy instead. Little did Dambach know that his childhood start
as an entrepreneur would come full circle when his life was at a
crossroads.
“I
was assigned as a scout with the 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Marine
Corps unit in Mattydale, NY. Our unit was activated and deployed to the
Syrian border area in northern Iraq in 2009,” recounts Syracuse-native
Chris Dambach. “On Mother’s Day, our vehicle rolled over and I suffered
several injuries after being ejected that led to the end of my military
career. While rehabbing back stateside at the VA, I began questioning what
I wanted to do with the rest of my life. Ever since I was a kid, I had
wanted to start my own business and my mind couldn’t let go of the idea of
being my own boss. My life was worthy of that.”
Friends
and family encouraged Dambach to use his GI benefits to go to college or
pursue a job. Starting a business from nothing in the middle of a recession
seemed impossible to everyone-except Dambach. In true Marine form, Dambach
transformed the negativity into more motivation for success.
“I
started a lawn care business, partly because I wanted to work outside in
the elements by myself-the rain, the snow, the heat of the summer. It was a
little bit of therapy, too. I used $5,000 from my Iraq savings to buy
mowing equipment and placed a simple Pennysaver lawn care ad in the spring
of 2010. Within 48 hours, I had 30 clients and that’s where it all
started,” said Dambach.
After
Veteran Lawn Care Service’s first year of residential lawn care, Dambach
added commercial clients to the mix in 2011. Dambach turned to the Onondaga
Small Business Development Center for counseling advice on taking his
business to the next level that same year.
Binghamton SBDC Presents
SBIR/STTR Conference for Small Businesses
The
Binghamton Small Business Development Center (SBDC) will host the "The
Business of Technology: SBIR/STTR Grants - Commercializing Technology"
conference on September 2 and 3 at the Innovation Technology Complex at
Binghamton University. Presenters include the SBA Syracuse District Office
and the Greenwood Consulting Group Inc.The registration fee is $395, but
the fee is waived for SBDC clients due to grant funding. For more
information about this event, please contact the Binghamton SBDC
at (607) 777-4024 or sbdc@binghamton.edu.
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