Whether you plan to have two employees or 200, starting a new business can be a long and time-consuming process, but with some help from Commerce Chenango and other local agencies, entrepreneurs can determine what they need to do and where they can go for help.

According to President and Chief Executive Officer Maureen Carpenter, the first step a potential business owner should take when thinking about starting a new business is to call Commerce Chenango.

“We have information on where you need to go next, how to get the permits you need, sources of online information and other resources to help, and our services are free of charge,” Carpenter said.

Commerce Chenango has a wealth of information on area demographics and market analysis that can assist prospective business owners in determining what kind of business might succeed. In addition, they can provide resources about workers’ compensation, sales tax, employer identification numbers and a variety of other topics for potential business owners.

“It’s easy to get overwhelmed,” Carpenter said. “You don’t want to miss a step. We can give business owners the resources they need.”

In order to start a successful business, Carpenter said, there are a few things a person must have. They need to have some start up cash and they need to have a good business plan. “One of the big misconceptions is that we provide grant funding,” Carpenter said. “We don’t have grant funding. It would take a multi-million dollar project to get grant funding.”

Commerce Chenango can, however, help a business owner obtain loans. After assessing the project, looking at the feasibility of the plan and the financial credibility of the business owner, a project package can be put together with a variety of loan sources. “We identify potential issues as well as providing a direction for where to go,” Carpenter said.