Winnie’s Bar, a beloved neighborhood karaoke spot in Manhattan’s Chinatown located on the second floor of their building, was searching for a way to keep income flowing during the pandemic. To get creative, they inquired about building an outdoor dining set-up on the street level, but when the bar reached out to the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) to ask about how that might work, DOT told them they had to contact Small Business Services (SBS) for an answer. When they contacted SBS they responded that they didn’t know the answer either and suggested they get in touch with DOT.
Time and efficiency are precious commodities. Small business owners don’t have the capacity to navigate complicated licensure requirements within city programs. In 2021, 51% of all business owners predicted their business would not survive 12 months without additional support, according to a survey from HR software business Gusto. This rate was even higher among minority business owners: 73% of Black entrepreneurs and 71% of Asian American (and) Pacific Islander owners predicted their business might fail within the year, the survey said.
