The Partial Observer by Bill Michaels
Free Program Helps Small Businesses
In 2019, I went back to school.
Not literally, of course. By then I had owned and operated the Fly Creek Cider Mill and Orchard for 20 years and had spent most of my adult life in the hospitality and tourism business. Like many small-business owners, I had learned a great deal through experience—the successes, the mistakes and the daily necessity of figuring things out.
But in 2019, I was fortunate to be accepted into the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program at LaGuardia Community College in New York City.
It turned out to be one of the most valuable experiences of my business career.
That is why I was particularly pleased to learn that Goldman Sachs is bringing its 10,000 Small Businesses program statewide, with its first New York statewide cohort beginning in February 2027.
There is a tendency to think of entrepreneurship as something that happens in New York City, Silicon Valley or other major metropolitan areas. Those of us who live in rural communities know differently.
Small businesses are the backbone of communities like ours. They employ our neighbors, support local organizations, sponsor Little League teams, contribute to fundraisers, purchase from other local businesses, and provide many of the products and services that make rural communities viable.
They also face challenges that can be very different from those confronting businesses in larger markets.
When you own a small business, there is rarely a department down the hall handling finance, marketing, human resources, operations or strategic planning. In many cases, the owner is all of those departments.
That was one of the reasons the 10,000 Small Businesses program was so valuable to me.
The program forced me to get out of the daily operation of my business and spend time working on the business rather than simply working in it. We studied financial statements, marketing, operations, leadership, employees, access to capital and, perhaps most importantly, how to identify opportunities for growth.
We were also surrounded by other entrepreneurs.
That may sound like a small thing, but it isn’t. Small-business ownership can be surprisingly isolating. Sitting in a room with business owners from completely different industries and discovering that they were wrestling with many of the same questions was enormously valuable.
Those relationships didn’t end when the program ended. They became part of a much larger network of entrepreneurs willing to exchange ideas, make introductions and help one another.
Years later, I am still benefiting from that network.
The experience has also taken me places I certainly didn’t anticipate when I submitted my application in 2019. Through the 10,000 Small Businesses community, I have participated in small-business advocacy in Washington and Albany, met entrepreneurs from across the country, and had opportunities to discuss the challenges facing rural businesses with policymakers and business leaders.
More recently, Goldman Sachs selected the Fly Creek Cider Mill as one of the small businesses featured in a national documentary (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=037u2B5hNrk ) about graduates of the program. Seeing our little corner of Fly Creek included in that story reinforced something I have believed for a long time: Rural businesses deserve a seat at the table when America talks about entrepreneurship and economic growth.
The new statewide program combines online instruction with in-person sessions in Rochester and is offered at no cost to participants. The 12-week curriculum includes marketing, operations, financial management, leadership, employees, and access to capital, along with individual business advising and the development of a customized growth plan.
And the results are impressive.
According to the program, 70 percent of graduates increase revenues, 50 percent create jobs, 84 percent collaborate with other graduates and 99 percent would recommend the program.
The first statewide New York cohort of 40 students begins February 9, 2027, and concludes April 30. Applications are due October 13, 2026.
Generally, applicants should be an owner or co-owner of a business that has been operating for at least two years, has at least two employees including the owner, and generates more than $75,000.00 in annual revenue.
I would particularly encourage business owners here in Otsego County and across rural New York to take a serious look at it.
You do need to be willing to examine your business, challenge some of your own assumptions and make an investment of your time in determining where you want your company to go next.
There is no tuition. But don’t mistake “free” for easy. The program requires a commitment. You will work on your business, your numbers and your growth plan. In my experience, that is exactly why it is worthwhile.
I have spent decades building a business in a hamlet three miles outside Cooperstown. I know firsthand that entrepreneurship is alive and well in rural New York. What our entrepreneurs sometimes lack isn’t ambition or ideas. It is access—to education, expertise, capital, networks and other business owners who have faced the same challenges.
Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses helped provide me with that access.
Seven years later, I’m still using what I learned and still benefiting from the relationships I made.
If you own a small business and find yourself wondering what its next chapter might look like, I would encourage you to apply today.
Sometimes the best investment you can make in your business is taking the time to become a better business owner.
Link to apply: https://www.goldmansachs.com/community-transformation/10000-small-businesses/us/growing-with-rural-america
Bill Michaels is the owner of the Fly Creek Cider Mill and Orchard.
