Small Business & Business Community

It is imperative that we prioritize our business community to ensure they can weather the current economic crisis and thrive in the future. Part of the future success of small businesses is refining existing licensing requirements for new and existing enterprises. Strong, convenient business districts benefit not only our livelihoods, employ our neighbors, but also benefit the environment and property values as well. As a former small business owner, I know first hand what it takes to start a business and what it takes to keep a business operating under factors that are out of your control. We must listen to our business owners, support them in the ways that we can as a city council, and be willing to create innovative programs to attract new businesses to our city. A healthy business community creates new and local job opportunities for our neighbors and youth. I want entrepreneurs and business owners alike to think about our city as MINNEAPOLIS IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS! Here are some of my commitments to businesses in our city:

  • Invest in Public Safety to ensure business owners, their employees, and their customers feel safe in our city. We must get the reform of your police services right in the city if we want to retain and attract businesses to our city.

  • Invest in supporting our businesses in our city by creating education, resource information, and service delivery methods to streamline funding access opportunities for businesses. Leveraging existing partnerships, relationships, and city connections we can create tools for businesses to seek additional funding support.

  • Remove complex city processes and red tape around permitting, licensing, and inspections. Streamlining the process from start to finish for business owners will continue to retain and attract businesses of all types to our city that will benefit all of our community.

  • Create a city position to support businesses through the city processes from idea to operational business and beyond. Having a dedicated individual committed to helping support businesses in our city is key to how we continue to support our business community.

  • Streamline support and resources available to business owners and entrepreneurs. There are a lot of resources currently available but finding the right resource for a business can be challenging, I am committed to ensuring our office works to streamline resources available and share those with business owners in our community.

  • Create regular programming and info sessions for perspective entrepreneurs, perspective business owners, new business owners, and existing business owners to help provide resources and education on the city process to start and maintain a business along with resources available.

  • Develop a Minneapolis Open for Business campaign to utilize for local and national recruitment of businesses to create good paying jobs and increase our business footprint in Minneapolis. We should be investing in attracting businesses to call Minneapolis home.

  • Support our small businesses impacted by COVID-19 through reduction in taxes, resource connection to state and federal support programs available, educational sessions to share philanthropic resources, and more.

  • Communications directly from our council office to our business community through direct communication avenues such as business specific newsletters and presentations and the creation of an advisory council of business owners to consistently share information with me.

  • Supporting BIPOC, Minority, and Women Owned businesses in our Ward and throughout the city with a focus on business creation and implementation in our city.