Office of Diversity and Inclusion Business Development

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Small Business Ecosystem

The Small Business Ecosystem is a directory of small local businesses in the Michiana area. Adding your small business to the directory can help expand your customer base. Click here to apply.

Are you looking to support small, locally-owned businesses? Click here to browse businesses by industry.

Want to support local women and minority-owned businesses? Click here.

Small Business Assistance Suite

The Small Business Assistance Suite exists to support business growth in South Bend. We provide various tools, resources, and coaching to help develop small businesses!

Click here to join the Small Business Assistance Suite

BUSINESS COACHING

Need help with operational management, project management, and marketing plans? You are in the right place! You can take advantage of one-on-one coaching sessions to gain managerial skills to increase efficiency and expand customer reach.

FINANCIAL COACHING

Navigating business finances can be challenging. Luckily, our coaches provide insights to maneuver through financial institutions helping to prepare and secure financing for commercial business endeavors.

LEGAL SUPPORT

Consultation, Business Registration, operating agreements, entity reinstatement, IRS for 1023 EZ filing, contract drafting, and review.

TAX ASSISTANCE

Filing business taxes can be messy, but it doesn’t have to be! We provide tax planning and assistance for individuals (schedule c), C-Corporations, S-Corporations, Limited Liability Companies (LLC), partnerships, Single Member Limited Liability Companies (SMLLC), sole proprietorships, and partnership & multi-member LLCs.

MINORITY/WOMAN BUSINESS ENTERPRISE CERTIFICATION

Become a certified Minority or Woman Business Enterprise to qualify for city contracting opportunities and expand your business networks!

BOOKKEEPING

We provide Intro classes, bookkeeping/CFO level assistance, QuickBooks setup, registration (state/federal), state entity report, tax-exempt classification, and entity formation.

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER I APPLY?
Once you have applied for back-office support through the Small Business Assistance Suite or funding through the Grant Program, you will be contacted to schedule an interview where we will gather a snapshot of general information about your business to see how we can best serve you.

Once the interview is complete, our team will work to create a personalized plan that fits your business needs and assign you to one of our coaches.

 

Other Resources

 

MWBE Workshops

Empower Your Business with Certification
Our Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) and Women Business Enterprise (WBE) Certification Workshops are designed to help small businesses navigate the certification process and open doors to new opportunities. These workshops provide step-by-step guidance to help you complete your certification and unlock the potential for growth and collaboration.

Workshop Details

Workshops are held during the second month of every quarter, with each cohort consisting of four sessions.

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Cohort Schedule

• Cohort 1
  • Sessions: Wednesdays, starting February 5, 2025
  • Registration Period: January 15, 2025 – February 3, 2025
• Cohort 2
  • Sessions: Wednesdays, starting May 7, 2025
  • Registration Period: April 9, 2025 – May 3, 2025
• Cohort 3
  • Sessions: Wednesdays, starting August 6, 2025
  • Registration Period: July 9, 2025 – August 2, 2025
• Cohort 4
  • Sessions: Saturdays, starting October 4, 2025
  • Registration Period: September 10, 2025 – September 30, 2025

Spaces are limited, be sure to mark your calendars for the registration opening date for the session you want to attend!

To register here – https://forms.office.com/r/JMp2BT5c2Z 

 

Events

Leadership