SMALL BUSINESS SERVICES
SMALL BUSINESS SERVICES

Unlock the full potential of your business with our free business support at Start Small Think Big. We're committed to providing you with the essential resources, expert guidance, and services tailored to your immediate business needs. 

At the heart of Start Small Think Big, Inc. lies a deep commitment to fostering an environment of diversity, equity, integrity, acceptance, and inclusion. We proudly stand with small business owners who embrace a wide spectrum of customers, clients, and employees, and celebrate all identities. These core principles not only shape our approach to entrepreneurship but also define our collaborative work ethos. 

Join us in our mission to transform your entrepreneurial vision into reality, paving the way for success not just for your business but  for your personal growth, your family, and your community.


 

 

Finance-services-Start-Small-Think-Big FINANCE
SERVICES

 

Discover how our Finance Program connects entrepreneurs with professionals who will share their expertise so small business owners can increase their financial literacy. They can provide guidance for entrepreneurs who need help setting up solid economic systems, bookkeeping, growth planning, projections, and cost analysis. *We cannot assist with taxes or provide specific tax advice

Assistance calculating the cost of production (Cost of Goods/Services Sold) and understanding how much a product or service contributes to paying overhead and/or owner’s salary at various price and sales levels.

Assistance understanding whether the business can afford a new expense (e.g. hiring, loan, new commercial lease.)

Assistance setting prices and understanding which existing or proposed revenue streams are the most profitable.

Assistance developing 1-3 year financial forecasts for a business plan/raising capital.

Assistance developing 12 month financial forecasts that align with income goals.

Assistance choosing an appropriate system, support to implement the system, and training to understand how to classify financial transactions.

Assistance getting business financial records organized and up-to-date.

Legal-services-Start-Small-Think-BigLEGAL 

ASSISTANCE

Discover how our pro bono Legal Program connects entrepreneurs with legal experts. Our experts specialize in helping entrepreneurs choose the proper entity structure, or review commercial leases. They can advise on intellectual property and employment issues, review and draft contracts, and other legal issues. We can only provide legal services in New York and California in 2024.

Legal volunteers meet with entrepreneurs who seek advice or assistance with formalizing the legal structure of their businesses, including for example, by forming legal entities (e.g., LLCs or corporations); drafting operating agreements or bylaws; and creating partnership terms between business partners. Volunteers will also provide entrepreneurs with general advice and information concerning ongoing corporate governance obligations and responsibilities. Legal volunteers will assist entrepreneurs with drafting the appropriate corporate document and/or preparing and filing appropriate documents with the applicable authority.

Legal volunteers will conduct a “knockout” search of client’s business / product name, logo, and/or slogan; review the results with the client; and provide basic advice on trademark registration advantages and process—including a non-binding estimate of the likelihood of successful registration, generally focused on questions related to the level of similarity to existing marks and/or “mere descriptiveness” of the proposed marks.

Legal volunteers will review clients’ websites and edit existing or template Terms of Use and Privacy Policy for use on clients' websites. The templates include extensive practice notes for the attorneys which, in conjunction with a training, allow virtually any corporate counsel to ask the client questions and determine from their responses what the appropriate edits are and explain the resulting contracts to the clients.

Legal volunteers review/update a client’s existing contracts or assist them with drafting new agreements. If the client has an existing agreement, each volunteer team will receive the agreement in advance of any client consultation, and during the consultation, will review the agreements with the client, explain key terms, and, where appropriate, provide suggested revisions or flag areas for potential negotiation. If the client needs a new agreement drafted (e.g., a wholesale agreement), the legal volunteers will meet with the client to discuss their contract needs and proposed business arrangement, and assist with drafting an agreement that the client can use going forward.

Small business entrepreneurs often face challenging legal decisions related to their first hires. Legal volunteers will provide one-on-one counsel to businesses facing these decisions. Most consultations will focus on the appropriate classification of the business’s current or prospective workers, and may also include counseling clients on threshold issues regarding their obligations and responsibilities as an employer—including with respect to wages and benefits.

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Small Business Testimonials

Cassandre Davilmar
Hector Castillo Carvajal
Nancy Rosales
Lamont Bransford-Young
Fredrick Daniels
Edouard Massih
Tammeca Rochester
Katlyn Algeria
LaParis Phillips

Cassandre Davilmar

Lakou Cafe

Cassandre Davilmar opened Lakou Cafe to host local art shows, open mic nights, cultural conversation groups, and concerts for the community. But in March 2020 sales decreased and they had to close the doors due to COVID-19. Later that year, Cassandre received a one-time $5,000 grant to add to their PPP loan. Cassandre worked with Start Small Think Big’s finance program on projections, planning, and bookkeeping. Our legal and marketing programs assisted them with conducting business online, lease review and negotiation, entity selection, trademark, and digital marketing strategy. Ultimately, Cassandre saved their business and reopened Lakou, experiencing a 38% revenue increase.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you have questions about volunteering opportunities? Find the answers you need, and browse a list of frequently asked questions. You can always contact us if you need further assistance.

Once onboarded, you will have access to our services for 12 months, at which point you are more than welcome to reapply as many times as you continue to be eligible.

Unfortunately, we do not have the resources or expertise to assist with nonprofits, as it is a very distinct business model.

Unfortunately, Start Small Think Big's services aren't suitable for businesses that are in a pre-launch or idea phase, and/or have not generated multiple sales totaling at least $500 in sales within the past 3 months. You are more than welcome to apply for our services when you reach $500 in sales!

Yes! We welcome returning clients, as well as anyone whose situation may have changed and who may now be eligible for our services, to reapply.

Prospective clients are asked to upload personal + business documents which will be reviewed during the Service Assessment in order to confirm your baseline financial circumstances and finalize our eligibility determination.

  • Note: We will not disseminate this documentation or use it for any other purpose. All documents are deleted after the onboarding appointment is complete.
  • You are welcome to screen-share these documents or blackout personal information such as account number(s) or social security number(s).

We ask that you upload the following documents to our secure portal:

  • Proof of Annual Income: Personal tax return (if business filed taxes last year)
  • Proof of Assets: Screenshots or bank statements showing current month’s balances from all household checking, savings, and business bank accounts (if any)
  • Proof of Sales: records showing at least $500 in recurring sales in the last 3 months. The sales can be via Venmo, PayPal, Square, paper receipts, bank statements showing deposits, Shopify, etc.

Unfortunately, we do not provide our clients with direct funding. Start Small Think Big is NOT a grant, but we occasionally provide clients with sales opportunities internally, or with other partners/clients.

Take a look at the following Grants and Loan opportunities available to the public: SSTB External Loans + Grants Resource: https://www.startsmallthinkbig.org/resources/loan-grant

There’s no catch! So long as applicants meet our eligibility criteria, they are able to receive free volunteer services. We ask clients to opt in to receiving email reminders for appointments, newsletters, and follow-up surveys.

Unfortunately, we do not have a Certified Public Accountant on our Finance Team to provide clients with tax advice. It is advised to seek general guidance published from tax authorities if helpful. Our Finance Volunteers may help you set up or clean-up your bookkeeping system, which will likely form the basis of what you file. You can learn more about what we offer here: https://www.startsmallthinkbig.org/what-we-do.

Given that our services are provided primarily by volunteers, we are unable to promise a specific timeline for our services. Our services are not a good fit for anyone with urgent needs. We thank you for your patience while we work to set up our clients with our pro bono marketing, finance, and legal services.

While clients are waiting to be matched with a volunteer, we suggest taking a look at our events page for upcoming workshops and webinars hosted by industry experts!

At this time we are only able to offer legal services in NY and CA. You can receive Finance services in all 50 states and Marketing services will be available soon.

Unfortunately, our legal volunteers are unable to support clients with litigation, conflicts, or anything going to court. You can learn more about what we offer here: https://www.startsmallthinkbig.org/what-we-do.

We have a strong network of community partners that assist small businesses all over the country with a wide range of services. If you need help with something that we do not offer, please feel free to reach out to hello@startsmallthinkbig.org and we will share any resources we are aware of that may be helpful to you.

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Edy’s Grocer
Charros LLC
Wanda's Cooking
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The Pink Bakery