Category: News – Adults

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SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – Current and aspiring small business owners are getting a helping hand from a new local partnership.

The group “Lawyers For Civil Rights” has teamed up with the Springfield City Library to host a “BizGrow Conference” Thursday afternoon.

The event helped local entrepreneurs network with other business owners, as well as receive free legal advice and other resources. Organizers said the event will help small business owners avoid common pitfalls.

Executive Director Ivan Espinosa-Madrigal told 22News, “There are many questions that entrepreneurs face, how am I supposed to classify employees? Should they be classified as independent contractors or otherwise? And more importantly, there are complex issues around taxes.”

This was the first time this BizGrowth event has been held in Springfield. Lawyers for Civil Rights hope to hold a similar event in the future.

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SPRINGFIELD — A program that gives free legal advice and business support to entrepreneurs is coming to Springfield from Boston, where it has seen nearly a decade of success helping hundreds of small business owners.

The Springfield City Library is joining forces with Lawyers for Civil Rights Boston to stage the first BizGrow Conference in Western Massachusetts. The legal support and business expo is being held at the library’s central branch on State Street in October.

“When I got the email from Lawyers for Civil Rights, I jumped right out of my chair to go talk to our director about being able to host this conference,” said Elizabeth McKinstry, training and programming librarian. “It felt like exactly the opportunity we need to talk more about the kinds of resources available for small businesses.”

The event is free and open to all small business owners, not just those who run women, LGBTQ or minority-owned enterprises.

LCR has been offering the expo in Boston for the last seven years, and helped some 100 businesses last year alone, said Roz Freeman, the organization’s entrepreneurship manager.

“We want to bring these in-person, free legal resources to businesses in other parts of the state that don’t always get the same resources Boston gets. It’s important to bring these resources to Springfield to support economic growth and wealth creation in the region,” said Freeman.

Freeman said her organization has relationships with thousands of volunteers that work pro bono with small businesses across the state. Many entrepreneurs say a lack of information and access to experts is not only a barrier to entry, but it also threatens their existence.

Lawyers at the Springfield conference will be offering advice on everything from creating business structures and entering into leases to building partnerships and establishing trademarks.

“It’s important for them to be getting legal support to protect themselves, the businesses and continue to grow and generate wealth,” said Freeman. “It can be a huge disadvantage for business owners who might not have the connections they need. We’re here to help them get connected to those resources.”

Organizers said entrepreneurs should register for half-hour meetings with lawyers. Many of their questions could be answered at the conference, while other discussions may continue beyond the event. The legal services are always free, said Freeman.

“Ahead of the meeting, we call business owners to help them clarify their question, to make sure they can make the most out of the time with the attorney, who will have a heads up about the question that the business owner is hoping to discuss,” according to Freeman, who said business owners will be paired with attorneys specializing in real estate, employment, corporate law, intellectual property and other disciplines.

According to the U. S. Small Business Administration, there are nearly 700 thousand small businesses in Massachusetts, making up 99.5 percent of all businesses in the commonwealth. The enterprises employ 1.5 million people — that is 44.7 percent of all Bay State workers, according to the SBA.

“Small businesses are the lifeblood of this community. They’re the ones out there grinding every day. They’re employing local people. Their investment goes back into the community. They are the bedrock of the city, and we are thrilled to be involved in providing them connections to their resources that will make them even more successful,” said McKinstry.

McKinstry told The Republican small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs are constantly using library resources to write business plans, research opportunities, tap into databases that can help them generate sales leads and find resources they need to establish, fund and run their operations.

The expo is designed to be a one-stop-shopping event for anyone needing to get this information by networking with more than a dozen organizations.

“This will be be an excellent start for anyone trying to make local and regional contacts. No event is going to cover every possible scenario for what someone’s looking, but making those connections, getting business cards and figuring out whom you’re speaking with is the way to make the connections for the piece you haven’t quite fit into your puzzle,” said McKinstry.

The BizGrow Conference is free and open to the public on Oct. 10 at the Springfield City Library, 220 State St. Legal support sessions run from noon to 4 p.m., and while attorneys may be able to accommodate walk-ins, registering for the event is strongly recommended.

The Small Business Expo runs from noon to 2 p.m.

For more information or to make reservations to meet with an attorney, visit bit.ly/BizGrowSpringfield2024, email BizGrow@lawyersforcivilrights.org or call the library at 413-263-6828.