Small Business Development Center

If you are starting a new small business, or if you need help with your existing business, our experienced advisers can help you. Since 1984 we have helped over 384,130 small business clients who created over 169,485 jobs and invested $50 billion in the NYS economy.

Our services are free and confidential. We serve Livingston, Wyoming, Ontario and Steuben counties and greater Rochester. Since 1993, we have served over 670 clients, creating $10 million in local investments and created or saved 1,700 jobs.

NEW: Coronavirus (COVID-19): Small Business Guidance & Loan Resources

Client Spotlight: Scents by Design - Christina Julian, Owner 

Scents by Design is the region’s first pour-your-own candle and custom fragrance bar. Nestled right in the heart of the Neighborhood of the Arts in Rochester, New York, this exciting new experiential retail concept has opened in the midst of a global pandemic, despite the unprecedented challenges facing small businesses.

Christina Julian, the owner of Scents by Design, intended to open up shop in the Spring of 2020, but those plans were derailed when COVID-19 sent the world into quarantine. “I was really close to signing a lease right when everything shut down,” Christina explains. “I’m so grateful I waited, because it could have been catastrophic. Once we had a better understanding of the virus and how it spread, I decided to start looking for retail space again.”

Working with Norm Karsten of the Geneseo SBDC, Christina developed a business plan and secured financing. Christina tells us, “Being a first-time entrepreneur, Norm’s guidance on my business plan was invaluable. He gave me the framework and format for what a business plan needed to include, and then helped me adapt it to include all the specifics for my business, COVID, and what the banks were asking to see.”

Scents by Design opened in November 2020, and aims to get people thinking differently about scenting their spaces, and to treat fragrance as an interior design element. We spend so much time and money curating the look and feel of the spaces in our homes and workplaces, and we sometimes ignore our sense of smell. Scents by Design helps customers find scents that match their noses and their environments.

The custom fragrance experience is interactive and hands-on, and the shop has a social atmosphere that is perfect for individuals, large groups, intimate date nights or private parties. Whether you're looking for a girls' night out, a team-building event, or an activity for the kids, Scents by Design would love to host your next get-together. Scents by Design is also a source for unique wedding and event favors, corporate gifts, private label fragrance products, and community fundraisers.

Scents by Design is proud to be an independent, woman-owned small business.

Why Small Businesses Need Help

Small Business is the engine that drives our economy, yet 80% of all small businesses fail within the first five years. The primary causes of failure include under-capitalization, lack of experience and minimal marketing expertise. The success rate for small business can be improved by focusing on management resources, information resources and skills training.