Small Business Development

Overview

The City of Rochester Hills has recently initiated a focus on Small Business Development in response to the increasing demand to provide municipal level services to local micro-enterprises as well as prospective entrepreneurs.

The primary objective of the Rochester Hills Small Business Development program is to identify and respond to the business needs of prospective entrepreneurs and local micro-enterprises through the provision of targeted and comprehensive business sustainability resources. The economic development staff will address the needs of the Rochester Hills business community through:
     - Accurately defining relative business needs 
     - Pooling resources available through existing service providers
     - Partnering with local business stakeholders
     - Filling the gaps in information and service provision 

According to the US Small Business Association (US-SBA), small businesses are the lifeblood of the American economy, employing about half of all private sector employees; generating between 60 – 80% of all new jobs over the last decade; and hiring about 40% of all high-tech employees among other things.

These impressive statistics apply to Rochester Hills-based small businesses as well. In fact, the majority of Rochester Hills' businesses would be considered  "small" by the US-SBA's definition. However, the small business development resources provided by Rochester Hills will focus on local micro-enterprises with 50 or fewer employees.

This section of the Web site is dedicated to providing information and resources to the Rochester Hills small business community. Refer to the above links for more specific information on starting a business; business services; financing; and other resources and useful information.

If you are a local micro-enterprise, or are interested in starting a business in Rochester Hills, and would like to know more about our small business assistance, please contact Clarinda Harrison at (248) 841-2574 or via e-mail.