REMARKS
Council Member Mercedes Narcisse discusses small business challenges and introduces Intro 1082
0:09:49
ยท
3 min
Council Member Mercedes Narcisse, drawing from her experience as a former small business owner, discusses the challenges faced by small businesses in New York City. She introduces Intro 1082, which calls for a comprehensive study on the costs and regulatory burdens affecting small businesses, with a focus on MWBEs and businesses in transit-poor areas.
- Narcisse emphasizes the need for more city support to make starting and sustaining small businesses easier and more affordable.
- She highlights the importance of small businesses to communities and the need to help them thrive.
- Narcisse urges her colleagues to support Intro 1082 as a step towards empowering the small business community.
Mercedes Narcisse
0:09:49
Good afternoon, everyone.
0:09:50
Thank you, Chair Felice and my colleagues and commissioner and your leadership.
0:09:57
Thank you.
0:09:58
And I would be remiss not to acknowledge my Canarsie folks, so, Merchant Association, Canarsie Merchant Association, Noreen, Metas that have been working, very hard with me, and and of course the president of Chamber I see in the room that I'm always bothering to help me to shape, my community.
0:10:21
As a former, small business owner, I know firsthand how overwhelming the fees and the costs can be when you're trying to start and sustain a small business in New York City.
0:10:34
From from permitting and licensing to insurance and trash removal, these expenses add up very quickly and can be a major obstacle for many aspiring, entrepreneurs.
0:10:47
We constantly encourage our communities to support, small businesses and we call it small businesses are the backbone of our communities, but yet the backbone we need some bone marrow to infuse in there.
0:11:01
But that's a medical technique, but but we can get to it if you don't get it.
0:11:06
But we must also do our part as a city to support, to support all small businesses that's starting.
0:11:15
It makes it more easier, more affordable and and and when you starting a small business as difficult as it is, you think you're alone and then we need small businesses to thrive in our community.
0:11:28
So intro 1082 calls for a comprehensive study to examine the regulatory, legal, and operational costs that burden small businesses with a focus on MWBEs and businesses in, trans transit poor areas.
0:11:48
One of the things for, MWBE, I know it been very fragmented in some extent because you said, yes, you can be MWBEs but the process have been there so I can I'm talking from experience.
0:12:03
The fighting will help our body craft solutions that can reduce those barriers and promote entrepreneurship across our city.
0:12:13
I urge my colleagues to support this bill as it will take a critical step toward empowering our small business community.
0:12:22
So I thank you in advance and thank you and I'm looking forward.
0:12:26
I heard there is some we will have conversation, commissioner, and I'm ready for this conversation because I really would like to see more entrepreneurs stay in business.
0:12:35
We know the 5 the first 5 years is very difficult, but if you can't get the support, if you have a good plan in place, I think we should be more, supportive of our entrepreneurship in our community.
0:12:50
So thank you, Cheah.
0:12:51
Thank you, my colleagues.