Jump Start Application

To support new retailers and restaurateurs looking to open in Lower Manhattan, the Downtown Alliance has created Lower Manhattan Jump Start, a free program designed to give small businesses the greatest chance of success in both the physical and online marketplace. The Jump Start program, in partnership with design/marketing firm Streetsense, will award 20 eligible businesses with a customized strategic launch plan and four interactive consultation sessions (including one optional site visit). In total, each award will include up to $10,000 worth of professional services to help new brick-and-mortar operators establish a savvy online presence while simultaneously launching their in-person business.

The interactive sessions will be customized to the unique needs of each business and will be led by Streetsense’s team of industry experts across the operations, marketing, public relations and e-commerce disciplines. Consultations will include focuses, such as: 

• Launch strategy, marketing/PR – strategies to attract a steady stream of local traffic to the brick-and-mortar business
• Digital footprint and social media – improving your business’s digital presence and resources to get the most out of each social channel 
• Pro-forma – review business plans, P&Ls or pro formas, and provide feedback on how to fine tune operations and maximize revenue potential
• Customer journey and menu engineering – create a compelling customer experience to maximize business performance tailored to guest appeal

To be eligible for Lower Manhattan Jump Start, businesses must meet the following requirements and provide appropriate documentation:

• Have a signed lease or letter of intent, dated on or after July 1, 2021, for a storefront commercial space in Lower Manhattan  
• Lease must be of at least one year
• Location cannot be open at the time of application
• Be an independent business with no more than five locations in New York City, including this new one
• Not be a national chain or franchise
• Be located in the Lower Manhattan Business Improvement District

Please review all eligibility requirements and our additional program guidelines before submitting this application. All selected businesses will be required to complete a self-assessment questionnaire to share with Streetsense ahead of their first session. This will include relevant information, such as anticipated launch needs, business plan, proforma, list of offerings and floor plan. 

Applications will be reviewed, and consultations will be granted on a first-come, first-served basis beginning October 12, 2021. The application period will close June 1, 2022 at 12:00am or when the available consultations have been exhausted. Consultations will take place between October 2021 and June 2022.

If you do not qualify for this program, please see our informational guide for additional business assistance services. 

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

To be eligible, businesses must sign a lease for at least one year or letter of intent to sign a lease for at least one year for a storefront commercial space in Lower Manhattan’s business improvement district and have no more than five locations in New York City, including this new one. Franchises and national chains are not eligible for this program.

Those applicants who have signed letters of intent but not leases will be given 60 days to sign leases from the date of Downtown Alliance’s notification to the applicant that it is eligible to participate. The Downtown Alliance reserves the right to drop an applicant from the program that does not sign a lease within the required period. If you have a letter of intent but not a lease, you may complete your first of four consulting sessions and the final three sessions shall be provided after your lease has been signed.

All selected businesses will be required to complete a self-assessment questionnaire to share with Streetsense ahead of their first session. This will include relevant information, such as anticipated launch needs, business plan, proforma, list of offerings and floor plan.

To be eligible for Lower Manhattan Jump Start, businesses must meet the following requirements and provide appropriate documentation:

• Have a signed lease or letter of intent, dated on or after July 1, 2021, for a storefront commercial space in Lower Manhattan
• Lease must be of at least one year
• Location cannot be open at the time of application
• Be an independent business with no more than five locations in New York City, including this new one
• Not be a national chain or franchise
• Be located in the Lower Manhattan Business Improvement District

For more information about this program and services available, consult this Jump Start Program Overview put together by the Alliance and Streetsense.