Assemblyman Johnson of New Jersey Says

Great Time for Entrepreneurs to Start Businesses

Assemblyman Gordon Johnson with Ihor Dlaboha of Boosting Your Outreach

With a strong business climate enveloping New Jersey and the country, as well as an advantageous location, savvy entrepreneurs should now seriously consider fulfilling their dreams of launching their own small business, believes Assemblyman Gordon Johnson (D-37 Legislative District).

Johnson explained in a recent conversation that in addition to a strong economy other factors that are contributing to his upbeat view are low unemployment and general consumer optimism.
“People are out looking to buy products and services to help them in their daily lives,” elaborated the Bergen County legislator, who also serves as speaker pro tem of the New Jersey General Assembly. “I think that those individuals who are willing to take the risk, do their research and open a shop or provide a service or sell a product will find the climate good for them.”

Local entrepreneurs and business owners are furthermore fortunate because the regional geography is conducive to commercial endeavors. The Northeast is crisscrossed by highways and railroads, airports and seaports.

“One-third of the USA lives within a day’s drive of Port Newark. That’s a lot of people and a big marketplace,” Johnson stated.

Entrepreneurs must keep in mind the economic significance of what New Jersey offers them, he said.

“We have an educated population and workforce. Our network and infrastructure are strong. We are located across the Hudson River from the economic engine called New York City. Businesses can ship their products from here to anywhere. This is a great location to start a small business,” he described. “Furthermore, whether you like mountains in the northwest or the shore in the southeast, New Jersey is a place where you can live comfortably. There is also history, culture, theater.”

However, the encouraging condition is not without challenges, he cautioned. Business owners must be well prepared before they hang up an “Open for Business” sign on their doors. They should tap into all of the state’s assistance programs.

“If you want to open a small business you have to make sure you know how to run a small business. You have to make sure you are educated and trained in the basic business tenet of being in the black rather than red,” he cautioned. “Also, you must be confident that your product or service is viable in the area that you’re in. Is there a demand for it?”

Johnson offered as an example a new shoe repair shop that he came across in Englewood, NJ, pointing out that in searching for a practical location the businessman did his homework because there are no other shops of that kind in the community.

“So there will be demand for his service as well as spinoffs into leather goods repairs,” he said.

One of the best places for an aspiring business owner to learn how to launch a business is the New Jersey Small Business Development Center (NJSBDC), a network of 12 centers across of Garden State as well as an additional 28 affiliate offices. For more than 40 years this valuable network has provided cost-free comprehensive services and programs for small businesses in New Jersey as its experts assist men and women in launching or growing their companies and getting financing.

“Businessmen and women should take advantage of the NJSBDC and its Bergen County location in Ramapo College. It is a great incubating resource,” Johnson said. “When you leave that nest and start your own business, you have a foundation that will help you grow.”

While indicating that Trenton does a lot to help small businesses, the assemblyman said he is currently on a campaign to increase funding for the NJSBDC.

“The business of America is business and in New Jersey, small business is the backbone of our economy. We have to support small businesses along Main Street, New Jersey,” he said, emphasizing that the legislature is ready to help business owners overcome obstacles to their activity.

How long the good times will last is anyone’s guess, Johnson observed, but he suspects that there will be sustained growth for the next three years. However, entrepreneurs should not fret.

“Small businesses are fortunate to be able to withstand economic downturns because people still need to have their personal and domestic needs met and small businesses meet those needs,” he said.

Sustainability is a contemporary buzzword that should attract the attention of entrepreneurs because it offers benefits to the community as well as the small business. Johnson said millennials in particular support companies that are sustainable, environmentally friendly and promote green energy.

Johnson continued by saying that the ecology offers vast business opportunities for New Jersey firms in terms of sub-contracting for green energy projects. He specifically noted off-shore wind systems will be built near New Jersey, other technology initiatives and water infrastructure projects.

“Small businesses and the legislature must have a vision of what they want New Jersey to look like 20 years from now. In that vision should be green energy, sustainability, and reducing the carbon footprint,” he listed.

Small businesses in New Jersey come in all sizes and shapes – traditional, young and old, women’s, professional, food and hospitality, veterans and non-veterans, manufacturers, and immigrant – and Trenton is committed to helping them not only survive but also thrive.

“Small business is the backbone of New Jersey. Clever and dedicated entrepreneurs that find money and take the risk open businesses support their communities and the state. That’s great. That’s what this country is built on,” Johnson said.