QEDC

Get Business From NYC and NYS Government: M/WBE Certification
2024-10-16 18:30 - 20:00, 2024-09-18 18:30 - 20:00, 2024-08-21 18:30 - 20:00, 2024-07-24 18:30 - 20:00 (America/New_York)
Learn about getting certified as a Minority / Woman-owned Business Enterprise with NYC & NYS, what you will need to do to obtain government contracts, and how you can leverage your certification to get more business at this free online webinar.
About the Speaker
Since coming to QEDC, Ricardi Calixte has worked with many neighborhoods’ business organizations to help improve the local economy. He spearheaded the development of Corona Plaza, transforming an under-utilized area into one of the borough’s foremost pedestrian plazas. He works closely with merchant groups, foundations, and government agencies to help local communities reach their potential.
A native of Haiti, Ricardi graduated from New York City public schools and has a BA degree in Economics, an MA in Africana Studies, and an MRP in Urban Planning from SUNY Albany. He is a CORO Fellow. He lives Queens and is the proud father of a daughter and son.

AI Cyber Security Workshop: Part Two
2024-10-16 18:00 - 19:30 | Online, NY, United States
QEDC is partnering with St. John’s University to provide a comprehensive two-part workshop series designed for small business owners seeking to enhance their cybersecurity through the power of AI.
You’ll dive into the essentials of cybersecurity, learn about common threats, and discover AI-driven solutions to protect your business.
Next, we will discuss how Generative AI can revolutionize your cybersecurity efforts, with practical demonstrations of AI-powered tools like phishing protection, password management, and cloud encryption.
This is part two of the workshop. To register for part one, please click here. If you would like to attend both sessions, you should register for part one.

2025 Queens Tech + Innovation Challenge Info Session
2024-10-09 13:00 - 14:00 | Online, NY, United States
​​Presented by the Queens Borough President Donovan Richards and Queens Economic Development Corporation, the 2024 Queens Tech + Innovation Challenge is designed to help early-stage entrepreneurs grow their businesses with five $20K grants, access to industry experts and founder network. Its flexible schedule allows participants to join at any time between October 2024 to February 2025.
​​The multi-month program offers high-level entrepreneurial classes, one-on-one office hours with QEDC advisors, networking events with startup founders, and FIVE $20,000 grants.
​​Participants can compete in FIVE categories: 1) Consumer tech, 2)Enterprise Tech, 3) Sustainability, 4)Food & Bev, 5)Community
​​In this information session, the program director will explain the eligibility, application process and answer all of your questions.

Ready, Set, Go!
2024-10-08 19:00 - 20:00, 2024-09-10 19:00 - 20:00, 2024-08-13 19:00 - 20:00, 2024-07-09 19:00 - 20:00
About the Webinar:

Ready, Set, Go! is a 90-minute free workshop that covers all the things you need to think about when going into business. It provides a general overview of what it takes to start a business; legal considerations and what it takes to fund a new venture.

About the Speaker:

Roy Pellicano ran an IT services company for over 15 years working with small and mid-sized businesses across all industries, from the single computer Mom & Pop to the 63 location company. In addition to supporting IT, Roy advises business teams developing and implementing strategy across the business lifecycle from start-up to exit, including how to implement business and technology transformation.

Todos Somos, Somos Uno: We Are All, We Are One
2024-10-03 11:00 - 13:00 | 2929 3rd Ave.
Join us on October 3, 2023, as we come together to celebrate the vibrant tapestry of Hispanic culture during Hispanic Heritage Month. This event promises to be an enriching experience that honors the rich traditions, contributions, and achievements of the Hispanic community in New York.
Our celebration will feature captivating cultural presentations, inspiring speakers, and opportunities to connect with influential individuals and organizations dedicated to fostering diversity and inclusion. It’s a moment to reflect on the enduring impact of Hispanic heritage on our society and recognize the remarkable individuals who continue to shape our shared future.

Queens Tech + Innovation Challenge Kick Off Night
2024-10-02 18:00 - 20:00 | Cobblestones Pub and Biergarten, 117-18 Queens Boulevard, Forest Hills, NY, 11375, United States
Presented by the Queens Borough President Donovan Richards and Queens Economic Development Corporation, the 2025 Queens Tech + Innovation Challenge is designed to help early-stage entrepreneurs grow their businesses with up to five $20K grants, access to industry experts and our founders network. The flexible schedule allows participants to join at any time between October 2024 and February 2025.
At the kick-off event you will learn the details of the competition, as well as hear from last year’s winners. Light refreshments will be served.
Come on down! It’s time to take your business to the next level, and we’re here to help.

AI Cyber Security Workshop: Part One
2024-10-02 18:00 - 19:30 | Online, NY, United States
QEDC is partnering with St. John’s University to provide a comprehensive two-part workshop series designed for small business owners seeking to enhance their cybersecurity through the power of AI.
You’ll dive into the essentials of cybersecurity, learn about common threats, and discover AI-driven solutions to protect your business.
Next, we will discuss how Generative AI can revolutionize your cybersecurity efforts, with practical demonstrations of AI-powered tools like phishing protection, password management, and cloud encryption.
Get hands-on with real-world case studies and create a customized cybersecurity plan tailored to your business needs!
This is part one of the workshop. If you register for the first one, you do not need to register for the second one to attend. If you only want to attend part two, please click here.

Working With Airport Vendors
2024-09-10 11:00 - 12:00
Event Description
This free, online webinar is for anyone local to the New York area interested in having their food or beverage products placed in the airport. In this session we will go over high-level requirements including:

Distribution
Group Purchasing Organizations
Quality Assurance
Working with third party logistics companies
Certification

Attendees will have the opportunity to ask the experts about these key areas and get an inside look at HMSHost.

Using the Verizon Small Business Digital Ready Platform
2024-09-04 11:00 - 12:00
QEDC and Verizon present the Verizon Small Business Digital Ready (VSBDR) program. This program helps small businesses with its needs in our modern technology-heavy world through courses, mentorship, and networking opportunities, This webinar will be presented by LISC‘s own Meredith Phillips Almeida and will focus on the VSBDR platform and how to best access and use the resources available on it. Please join us for this intriguing session

Virtual Legal Clinic
2024-07-25 16:30 - 18:15
NELP’s virtual legal clinics provide microentrepreneurs with free personalized legal advice on business-related matters from volunteer attorneys during a 45-minute consultation.
Please note that the Neighborhood Entrepreneur Law Project does not assist with non-profit entity formation, litigation, collection matters or disputes.
Appointment times at our virtual clinics are i) 4:30-5:15 pm and ii) 5:30-6:15 pm. The events typically accommodate 10 clients in total (5 clients at the 4:30 pm slot and 5 clients at the 5:30 pm slot).

Get Business From NYC and NYS Government: M/WBE Certification
2024-06-19 18:30 - 20:00, 2024-05-15 18:30 - 20:00, 2024-04-17 18:30 - 20:00
Learn about getting certified as a Minority / Woman-owned Business Enterprise with NYC & NYS, what you will need to do to obtain government contracts, and how you can leverage your certification to get more business.
About the Speaker
Since coming to QEDC, Ricardi Calixte has worked with many neighborhoods’ business organizations to help improve the local economy. He spearheaded the development of Corona Plaza, transforming an under-utilized area into one of the borough’s foremost pedestrian plazas. He works closely with merchant groups, foundations, and government agencies to help local communities reach their potential.
A native of Haiti, Ricardi graduated from New York City public schools and has a BA degree in Economics, an MA in Africana Studies, and an MRP in Urban Planning from SUNY Albany. He is a CORO Fellow. He lives Queens and is the proud father of a daughter and son.

Before Due Diligence
2024-06-14 12:00 - 13:00
This workshop is intended for well-established businesses, whose owners are contemplating the sale of their business or another exit strategy. The information provided will help the owner put all its books and records in order; identify “hidden liabilities” that should be addressed; and otherwise put the business in a position to expedite the due diligence investigation. It is useful mostly for Sellers but can give Buyers valuable information, too.

Ready, Set, Go!
2024-06-11 19:00 - 20:00, 2024-05-14 19:00 - 20:00
About the Webinar:

Ready, Set, Go! is a 90-minute free workshop that covers all the things you need to think about when going into business. It provides a general overview of what it takes to start a business; legal considerations and what it takes to fund a new venture.

About the Speakers:

Thomas Farrell is a lawyer with a great deal of experience with contracts, employment matters, and regulatory compliance. He offers a combination of programs and practices to owners of small- and medium-sized businesses, largely designed to prevent them from being sued or from being investigated by government agencies.
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Roy Pellicano ran an IT services company for over 15 years working with small and mid-sized businesses across all industries, from the single computer Mom & Pop to the 63 location company. In addition to supporting IT, Roy advises business teams developing and implementing strategy across the business lifecycle from start-up to exit, including how to implement business and technology transformation.

THE LEGAL SIDE OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP
2024-06-04 18:00 - 2024-06-27 20:00
We are happy to announce our next intensive TEES course starting in June, which will focus on helping you to understand the legal aspects of business ownership. Our instructors for this course consist of a range of legal, business, and tax professionals teaching individual classes based on their areas of expertise. Running a business requires a familiarity with a number of legal areas, from licensing to hiring staff and acquiring proper insurance coverage. We look forward to you joining us in this virtual course.
Objectives:

Understand the legal implications of running a business
Learn how to decipher legal agreements, and decide on how to best protect your business and personal assets.
Be able to find key resources that you can refer back to when you need them.

Class Dates: June 4 through June 27
Course Schedule:
(Unless noted, each class will be from 6-8PM):
Class 1 June 4– Licenses and Permits in NYS (Kitty Chan & Andrea Tan)
Class 2 June 6 – Business Registration: The different structures broken down (Thomas Farrell)
Class 3 June 11 – Important Tax Numbers: EIN and Sales Tax (Latasha Bryan)
Class 4 June 13 – Taxes 101 (Latasha Bryan)
Class 5 June 18 – Intellectual Property 101 (Melanie Cunningham)
Class 6 June 20 – Contracts 101 (Melanie Cunningham)
Class 7 June 25 (12-1:30 PM) – W2 vs 1099? (Thomas Farrell)
Class 8 June 27 – Insurance – (Bob Bleistein)
Price: Free! There will be no cost to this program.
If you attend all eight sessions In this course, you will receive a certificate of completion.

Contracts
2024-05-23 12:00 - 13:00
This is a primer on Contract language: basic elements, some language to be familiar with, and what I call “litigation traps”–the stuff in the small print that can mean big trouble. The object is to “de-mystify” contracts, putting SMBs in a better position to negotiate and to communicate with their professionals. Part 1 introduces basic contract principals and terminology; Part 2 covers more sophisticated concepts and clauses.

Queens Taste 2024
2024-05-21 18:00 - 21:00
May 21 @ 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
The Queens Economic Development Corporation and Queens Tourism Council will host Queens Taste 2024 at the New York Hall of Science in Flushing Meadows Corona Park on Tuesday, May 21, from 6 pm to 9 pm.
We expect to attract more than 500 attendees with 50 restaurants and beverage purveyors, who will offer samples of their products. Thus, attendees will be able to bounce from table to table, tasting treats from tangy to fiery, crunchy to velvety, and sweet to briny.
Queens Taste is also a celebration of the borough — and a great way to network. Almost all the anticipated 500 attendees either live in Queens or do business there. Many are executives and captains of industry. The atmosphere is always festive, almost giddy, creating an ideal scene for meeting and greeting.
Get Your Tickets Here!
Here’s the list of the entities that have expressed interest so far: 10-63 Meal; 80s Rabbit; Althea’s Tropical Delights; Applebee’s Grill + Bar; Arepalicious; Bevo’s Kitchen; Bocaito Café; Brooklyn Brewery; Culiraw; Condesa Gin; F. Ottomanelli Burgers & Belgian Fries; Fogo de Châo; Fuzi Pasta Co.; Glaze Donuts; Harlem Baking Co.; Heart of Gold; Little Chef Kitchen; Manhattan Beer; Mansi; Mayahuel Astoria; MumsKitchens NYC; Muncan Food Corp; Neir’s Tavern; Oso Cacao, Paellas Y Tapas NY, QNSY Sparkling Cocktails; Queens Community House; Queens Curry Kitchen; Rincon Salvadoreño; RW Prime; Rudy’s Bakery & Café; Santa Chiara Alta Pasticceria; Schmidt’s Candy; SingleCut Beersmiths; Sassy Sweet Vegan Treats; Sydney’s Sweets; Taste of Surabaya; The Soup Lady; The Wine Room of Forest Hills; Tipsy Scoop; and Zhego NYC.
Sponsors

Sales Conversations: How to Win
2024-04-25 13:00 - 14:00
In this workshop, you will learn how to win sales conversations. Professional sales people will help you practice your sales conversations 1 on 1.
By the end of the workshop, you will be able to guide your customer through the sales conversation. More importantly, we will show you how to simplify the conversation, so you can take more time to listen.
You will learn:

How to organize a sales call

How to win sales calls whether the customer buys or not

The exact questions to ask to get a decision in 20 minutes or less

In just 1 hour, you will transform how you speak with your customers – and win more deals.
About the Speaker
Derrick Duplessy, since 2009, has dedicated himself to helping develop the sales process for women, immigrants, and minority business owners, allowing them to achieve remarkable success, collectively generating over $20M in sales in the last 5 years.
His skill as a sales coach has grown after conducting over 1,000 1-on-1 coaching sessions. Derrick’s work has been featured in the Boston Globe, NPR, and the Doctors television show.
Derrick’s vision is to identify and support 1,000 diverse business owners, each reaching $1M in annual revenue by 2040.
When he is not working, he is teaching his 3-year-old son, DJ, Haitian Kreyol.
––
Here are some career highlights:
Marie Saint Cyr (2022) – Employed 90 artists in 2022. Went from $49k to $1M+ revenue in less than 2 years. Haitian immigrant who runs mural company, Saint Cyr Art Studio.
Karla Morales (2021) – She went from cleaning houses to cleaning stadiums in less than 2 years. 21 yr old Puerto Rican secures contract with Red Sox AAA team stadium. Her company, Your Home Detox uses all environmentally friendly products and procedures.
Mishell Brookins-Ekunsirinde (2022) – In 2 years, she went from selling at kiosks to Target, Nordstrom, and Buy Buy Baby. Stina & Mae, her baby accessory brand, sells gift boxes for new moms.

Avoid a $500 a Day Fine: The New Law Affecting All Businesses
2024-04-24 12:30 - 13:30
Since January of this year, all businesses need to comply with a new law, and failure to do so can result in fines up to $500 a day. This new law, the Corporate Transparency Act, requires businesses like yours to submit a report (called a Beneficial Ownership Information Report, or BOI Report) to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). For businesses registered before 2024, this must be done by the end of year, or else you will start accruing daily fines. If you registered your business this year, you only have 90 days from your business registration to submit this report. Even if you have never had to submit any form of report for your business, you are still required do so now. There are no exemptions for small businesses, new businesses, or businesses with little to no revenue. Even if you consider your business inactive, you are still required to comply.
To assist you in meeting this requirement, QEDC has developed a comprehensive webinar designed to guide you through the registration process step by step. This resource is invaluable for both new and existing businesses, and it is time-sensitive. We encourage all business owners to take advantage of this opportunity to ensure compliance and avoid any potential penalties.

About the Speaker
Digna Cueto is a business professional with over 20 years of experience in the corporate retail sector. As an entrepreneur, she leads a successful business offering comprehensive services such as tax preparation, accounting, and payroll. Additionally, she is a distinguished instructor at a renowned tax preparation school, where she shares her knowledge and experience with future professionals in the field.

Special Class: Become a Power User of ChatGPT
2024-04-22 18:30 - 2024-05-13 20:30
This four part course is for small business owners who want to stay ahead of AI innovations. In this course, you’ll learn how to make the most of ChatGPT and ensure your business isn’t left behind in the rapidly evolving world of artificial intelligence.
The four classes in this course will cover the following:

Mon, April 22, 6:30 – 8:30 PM EST: Who is a Power User of ChatGPT? In this module, you’ll explore the concept of a power user, discover the capabilities of ChatGPT, and gain insights into the history of computers and innovations. You’ll also learn about the future of AI-powered apps and their potential impact on businesses and jobs.
Mon, April 29, 6:30 – 8:30 PM EST: What do I need to become a ChatGPT Power User? This module introduces you to the tools and resources necessary to become a ChatGPT power user. You’ll learn about OpenAI, GPTs, APIs, and prompts. You’ll also explore the differences between GPT-3.5 turbo and GPT-4.0, understand the importance of internet access and data for prompting, and discover various prompting techniques, including few-shot learning. Additionally, you’ll take a guided tour of the available resources using OpenAI and receive bookmarked resources and quick explainers.
Mon, May 6, 6:30 – 8:30 PM EST: How do I become a ChatGPT Power User? In the third module, you’ll learn the steps to become a ChatGPT power user. You’ll discover how to write effective prompts, train models using few-shot techniques, and use and create GPTs. The module also covers exceptions to the rules, such as when to use the API versus a GPT and when to buy versus build.
Mon, May 13, 6:30 – 8:30 PM EST: Capstone – Build a GPT: In the final module, we will learn exceptions to the rules. And then pick a real-world scenario to build a GPT for. And course participants will build their own custom GPT.

By the end of this course, you’ll have the knowledge and skills necessary to become a ChatGPT power user and leverage AI technology to drive your business forward in the ever-changing digital landscape.

Instructor: Jai Bhagat

Jai is an engineer and professor focusing on human computer interaction and AI research. Upon doing his research, Jai has decided to dive into the world of applied AI by exploring the wellness industry via breathwork. He’s testing how he can teach at scale using AI as the backend of his business.

How to Find Your Ideal Customers
2024-04-18 13:00 - 14:00
In this workshop, you will learn how to find your ideal customers. They can pay. They have a problem you can solve. You don’t have to twist their arm to get to ‘yes’.
You will learn:

Where to consistently find your potential customers

What questions to ask to see if they are ‘your ideal customer’

How to find referral partners who can refer multiple customers to you

Sign up for this workshop to stop wasting time chasing the wrong people.
About the Speaker
Derrick Duplessy, since 2009, has dedicated himself to helping develop the sales process for women, immigrants, and minority business owners, allowing them to achieve remarkable success, collectively generating over $20M in sales in the last 5 years.
His skill as a sales coach has grown after conducting over 1,000 1-on-1 coaching sessions. Derrick’s work has been featured in the Boston Globe, NPR, and the Doctors television show.
Derrick’s vision is to identify and support 1,000 diverse business owners, each reaching $1M in annual revenue by 2040.
When he is not working, he is teaching his 3-year-old son, DJ, Haitian Kreyol.
––
Here are some career highlights:
Marie Saint Cyr (2022) – Employed 90 artists in 2022. Went from $49k to $1M+ revenue in less than 2 years. Haitian immigrant who runs mural company, Saint Cyr Art Studio.
Karla Morales (2021) – She went from cleaning houses to cleaning stadiums in less than 2 years. 21 yr old Puerto Rican secures contract with Red Sox AAA team stadium. Her company, Your Home Detox uses all environmentally friendly products and procedures.
Mishell Brookins-Ekunsirinde (2022) – In 2 years, she went from selling at kiosks to Target, Nordstrom, and Buy Buy Baby. Stina & Mae, her baby accessory brand, sells gift boxes for new moms.

Commercial Lease Strategies
2024-04-18 11:30 - 13:00
This workshop gives pointers on how to successfully negotiate a lease that serves the business owner’s interests and minimizes his or her risk. There will be discussion of how to negotiate, what to negotiate, and what information can be useful before you negotiate. In addition, there will be some information about the impact of COVID-19 on existing leases and lease negotiations.
