The Montgomery County Business Center assists businesses of all sizes to start, move, and grow in Montgomery County, Maryland.
Naddia Clute is the County’s new Small Business Navigator, one of the key people responsible for helping small businesses succeed. Her job is to help businesses navigate County government processes like licensing, permitting, and procurement and to connect them with other resources in the County that can support their business growth For example, she links businesses with County partners that can provide technical and workforce assistance, promotion, funding, and more. She has been on the job since April 2022.
Naddia, please tell us a little about yourself and the Small Business Navigator role.
I have lived in Montgomery County since I came to the United States from Peru many years ago. I understand the County, and I am here to help and support small business owners.
I have a bit of a different approach because I come from a small business background. My family owns businesses here, and my husband has a Montgomery County-based business. For about 12 years, I myself had a bookkeeping business – which broadened into a consulting business – where I helped small events companies figure out business basics like their accounting systems, their HR compliance, and how to get permits and licenses. So I bring a business owner’s perspective to this job. I know the day-to-day juggling and balancing that has to go on so you can meet payroll and you can feed your family. I have that understanding.
There are many businesses that can qualify for County resources but just need help to figure stuff out and need somebody to hold their hand.
What are some Montgomery County resources small businesses should know about?
Part of my job is to be a sort of concierge. While I can hold the clients’ hands for the first part of our work together, my job is to point them to the right department and the right person who can help them achieve a goal. We receive a variety of inquiries that come into our Business Center. Our diverse resource partners like the Maryland Women’s Business Center (MBWC) and the Montgomery County Economic Development Council (MCEDC) can help them, but it’s hard for businesses to figure out where to begin. I get them started. They can always come back to me if they still can’t find their way, and I will help them get satisfaction.
Are some businesses too small to qualify for help from the Business Center?
No. We work with businesses of all sizes. Some are just getting started, while some are looking to relocate or establish a presence in the county – so we work with all sizes of businesses. I personally like to work with the small or new businesses because that’s where I can have more of a one-on-one relationship with the business owners and can help them directly.
The Small Business Navigator has always been a single position. But I share responsibility for business support with a Business Liaison, Daniel Koroma. And we are bringing on two additional liaisons before the end of the year because the need is there. With four of us, we will be able to spread out throughout the county and serve some of the pockets that need more help and assistance.
What is changing in the Business Center under your leadership?
We have spent a lot of time meeting with business owners, and we’re going to apply more resources where they have voiced their needs.
For one thing, while the systems and the contracts and documents always will be in English, we’ll be providing more of our trainings and training materials in other languages. I realize the fact that my being bilingual is important for Montgomery County. But besides Spanish, there have also been requests for information in French and Amharic and other languages.
Additionally, we are revamping our website to address some of the questions that we hear asked over and over. Specifically, questions about:
- Licenses
- Permits
- Leasing space
- Workforce requirements
The new website will answer more of these questions. It will point business owners to the specific department that can help them and show them how to reach out to different resource partners.
Plus, we’re reducing our response time to get clients’ questions answered. Our goal is to have the answers to your questions rapidly available and more direct. We’ve met with business owners to understand their priorities, and I think these changes are being well received.
What are your highest goals for your time in the Small Business Navigator role?
I want to have metrics that measure and can tell the story of our impact: I want to be a reliable source for data that allows us to tell: how many small businesses are we serving? How many minority businesses are we serving? What else are we are doing that’s having a positive influence on the business environment and the communities in Montgomery County?
I want a quick turnaround on responses to business owners’ questions and concerns – and no one should wait a week to get an answer. We’re now working on a 48-hour response time for queries to the Business Center, and we aim to respond even sooner when we can.