Support beyond services
For many small business owners, isolation and being overwhelmed can be just as challenging as financial pressures. Barbara Martinez believes support and connection are just as important as marketing strategies.
“Everything that we do teaches small businesses they’re not alone,” she said. “We are a team. If you have a question, you call me or you call another linker, and we’re there.”
Practical tools and education
Through co-working space, networking events, educational roundtables, branding workshops, podcasts, and social media training, HV Business Link provides both practical tools and emotional support.
“Sometimes we can’t give you money,” Martinez said, “but we can give you answers. And answers take away stress.”
Keeping businesses top of mind
Barbara emphasizes the importance of staying visible so that businesses come to people’s minds first when a need arises.
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“If someone says, ‘I need a cleaning service,’ the name should pop into your head instantly,” she explained. “That happens when we constantly support, share, and promote each other.”
HV Business Link’s networking events are linker-led, giving business owners the opportunity to showcase how they help one another, rather than make sales pitches.
“When we go to a business, we’re spending money there, taking pictures, sharing on social media,” she said. “People start hearing that name again and again.”
Community initiatives and future growth
Looking ahead, Martinez is excited about new initiatives: partnering with SUNY Orange for scholarships to support future entrepreneurs, speaking at high schools and business clubs, collaborating with local radio station WALL Radio for interviews, featuring linkers in Vision Times, and hosting monthly Facebook Lives spotlighting businesses.
“We’re gonna be very busy this year… educating other small businesses to join us,” Martinez said. “It’s a give and take… We support the community… and in turn, the community supports us.”
“We want to support the community first,” she added. “We’re here. We’re involved. And we’re building something together.”
HV Business Link functions as a collaborative network where business owners support one another through referrals, shared resources, and education.
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