Community Navigator Pilot Program

Legal Assistance Project

An initiative of the American Rescue Plan, the SBA Community Navigator Pilot Program is designed to reduce barriers for underrepresented and underserved entrepreneurs and improve access to programs and resources they need to recover, grow, or start businesses. The program includes a “hub” organization at the center of a network of “spoke” organizations that engage trusted community advocates to support small businesses.

Funded through a Cooperative Agreement between Syracuse University and the U.S. Small Business Administration, MSJDN is thrilled to partner as a spoke on the Institute for Veterans and Military Families CNPP hub to provide free webinars on legal topics to military-connected small business owners.  

Please visit the IVMF and the SBA online for more free recourses and support for your business!

Upcoming Webinars

Have you thought about what will happen to your business in the event you are unable to run it, or if you’d like a family member or friend to inherit it one day? In this workshop, MSJDN member Allison Wyman will cover why every business owner needs an estate plan, general questions that should be considered to protect your family and your business, and example estate plans for small business owners.

Past Webinars

You’ve worked hard to build a business. It’s growing, and you’re loving it! What happens if you need to move – whether that be due to a PCS
or a post-military life transition? How does it affect your business? Can you take it with you? If so, how? In this session, Reda Hicks discusses how you can move with your business—legal and business issues to think about, steps to follow in preparing to move, and how to plug into helpful resources when you land in a new business community. Lauren Hope, a business owner herself, shares her experience moving her own business and facilitates the Q&A portion of the webinar.

Running a business when you’re connected to the military can be very complex. Constant moves, uncertainty on where to register your business and cross-country clients add to the already muddy water. Join IP and small biz attorney Rachel Brenke as she breaks down what you need legally to run your business smoothly. Rachel will walk you through the contracts you need for running day-to-day operations plus the unforeseen circumstances (moves, out of state clients, etc.) that pop up when you least expect.

Brand development, registration, maintenance, protection and monetization can be a complex process, especially for startups and entrepreneurs. Join IP attorney Claire Gibson for an in-depth presentation on how to develop a strong brand suitable for federal trademark registration, how to acquire a federal trademark registration from the US Patent and Trademark Office, how to police that brand once trademark registration is acquired and pitfalls to avoid along the way.

 

Now that you’ve started a business, this seminar will explore how to strengthen your business! We will develop essential knowledge of topics such as:
* Protecting your assets beyond choosing a business entity structure: intellectual property, insurance, and succession planning;
* Key ingredients to contracts and with whom you should and may not need to contract;
* Resolving disputes when they arise–in the courts, or through mediation, arbitration, and negotiation.