Capital Region has Upstate’s 2nd Most Gig and Other Self-Employed Enterprises with Women Ownership
The Capital Region has upstate New York’s second greatest number of women who wholly and equally own businesses with no employees (i.e., nonemployer firms), that are wholly or equally owned by women, according to a Center for Economic Growth (CEG) analysis of new U.S. Census Bureau data.
Data from the Census Bureau’s 2021 Nonemployer Statistics by Demographics (NES-D) series for the first time detailed at the county level the characteristics of nonemployer owners, including their sex and age. Nonemployers are gig workers freelancers, independent contractors and other enterprises with no paid employees but at least $1,000 in annual receipts that are subject to federal income tax. The overwhelming majority of Capital Region nonemployer firms are individual proprietorships (86.4 percent), while the rest are either partnerships (8.5 percent), S-corporations (3.9 percent) or C-corporations (1.2 percent).
Female Nonemployers
In 2021, the eight-county Capital Region had 32,000 female-owned nonemployer firms as well as an addition 1,850 that were equally male/female owned. That resulted in a total 33,850 nonemployer businesses that were wholly and equally owned by women. Among upstate’s eight economic development regions, only the Hudson Valley had more nonemployer businesses that were wholly and equally owned by women.
Several women entrepreneurs that recently completed the Capital Region Chamber’s Entrepreneur Boot Camp. They included:
Alexandra Albino: The CEO and founder of Vibe Acupuncture in Albany.
Khamali Brown: The CEO and founder of GBG Enterprises, a training and consulting firm in Albany
Jasmine Virgile: The CEO and founder of the Wealth Building Legacy Company in Albany
Ashley Morales: The CEO and founder of Savvy Entrepreneurs’ Right-Hand Virtual Services (SERVs) in Schenectady.
Odaysia Burton-Garland: the CEO of Pulse Career Solutions, a health/medical education and training services center in Schenectady.
Noelle Dommasch: The founder of Viridian Recycling, an environmental consulting and compost manufacturing company in Troy.
Ann-Marie Berdar: The founder of Bare Blends, a plant based, vegan and gluten-free smoothie shop in Albany.
Erica Beckford: The founder of Holt Virtual Assistance, a virtual administrative assistance service provider in Albany for physicians and other medical professionals.
Registration for the Fall 2024 Boot Camp is now open. The Fall 2024 Boot Camp classes will kick off on Sept. 11 and will continue through the end of November. Register today.
Young Professional Network volunteers at the Connect Center for Youth in Cohoes.
Young Professional Nonemployers
The NES-D data also shows the Capital Region had 13,100 nonemployer firm owners between 25 and 34 years old. That means 15.7 percent of nonemployer firm owners in the region were young professionals. In upstate, only the Western New York (18.2 percent) and Finger Lakes (16.6 percent) regions had higher concentrations of young professional nonemployer firm owners.
The Capital Region Chamber, of which CEG is an affiliate, runs the Capital Region Young Professionals Network (YPN). YPN supports young professionals – many who have nonemployers firms – by helping them build strong relationships, learn from peers and mentors, and actively engage in the Capital Region.
YPN’s Executive Mentorship program has supported 400 participants since 2019. The program has existed for 20 years and has served over 1,240 mentees/mentors. Some examples of Capital Region young professionals who have leveraged YPN to build their nonemployer businesses include:
James Ciccarello: An Albany real estate investor and developer who participated in YPN Executive Mentorship program.
Rachel Malik: The founder and managing director of an Albany talent retention service provider in Albany. She is the current co-chair of YPN.
Brittany Lawton: The CEO and founder of an Albany full-service marketing solutions firm, Lawton Social. She is a past chair of YPN.
Gabby Fisher: An Albany serial entrepreneur whose businesses she co-founded include Micropolitan Matchmakers and 518 Get Together.
Aaron Moore: The creative director of a theater education company in Albany.
Belinda Washock: A freelance marketing specialist in Albany.
Get involved with YPN and participant in one of its upcoming events.
Don’t miss these insights into the trends that are shaping the Capital Region’s economy.
Sign up for CEG’s e-news and follow us on:
