State’s Small Business Advocate Wows Full House At P3 Strategy Session

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With 4.3 million small businesses in California, 99% of all new jobs created last year came from small business.

Is there any question why there is an Office of the Small Business Advocate in the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz)?

Dr. Tara Lynn Gray, director of that office since 2021, came to the Sunstone Stage recently as part of the Sunstone Cities P3 Strategy Series to explain how the government helps small businesses thrive. To say Dr. Gray is passionate about helping small businesses is an understatement.

“P3? That’s what we do!” Dr. Gray told a standing-room-only crowd at the Sunstone Presentation Stage. “We are a public-private partnership designed to make small business owners’ dreams come true.”

The Office of the Small Business Advocate has several programs to help small business owners open and survive, including technical assistance, grants and access to financing. Dr. Gray said the key to helping small businesses is her office’s 13 Innovation Hubs spread across the state to help make the necessary connections.

“Everything we do is driven by the three Ds,” Dr. Gray said. "Democratize, Diversify and Drive the economy. We do that by providing access to capital and the other resources needed … to drive the economy.”

Dr. Gray has been a small business owner, a business association director and CEO of a nonprofit foundation. She said her diverse experience helps her connect with small business owners of all types.

With the uncertainty of federal tariffs and other economic issues, the emphasis on small businesses will only increase, she noted.

“We (California) are the fourth largest economy in the world now,” Dr. Gray said. “Last year, the number of small businesses went up from 4.2 million to 4.3 million; we’re talking about 7.6 million jobs.

“And 99% of new jobs came from small businesses,” she continued. “You know why, don’t you? All of the layoffs (in the government sector)… Adding jobs is key, and our governor has invested more in small businesses than any other state.”

All About Accelerators

Direct contact with small business owners is key to providing the best help possible, Dr. Gray said. The Office of Small Business Advocate has addressed that need with 13 innovation hubs across the state as part of its Accelerate California.

“Any real partnership comes with resources,” Dr. Gray said. "We want to be there to help get them over the initial humps… These are free programs where we provide support – technical support and then the chance to compete for grants.”

Innovation grants can provide up to $100,000. Perhaps more importantly, the hubs also help connect startup owners with capital through state and federal programs, as well as venture capital.

Dr. Gray called out the Leatherby Center Hub at Chapman University as a resource for Orange County businesses. Leatherby’s director, Dr. Cynthia West, attended the P3 Strategy Session to hear Dr. Gray and make connections.

Small business will continue to be an emphasis in California, Dr. Gray said. She pointed to a bill currently in the state legislature to open up to 25% of state contracts to small businesses.

For more information about the California Office of the Small Business Advocate and the services it provides, go the this website.

Next on the P3 Strategy Series calendar is Vivian Shimoyama, Director of the Long Beach Accelerator on Aug. 29. RSVP at lu.ma/cwjambez. For more information, contact Ryan Phong at Ryan.Phong@SunstoneCities.com.

About Sunstone Cities

Sunstone Cities is an economic development consulting firm that helps local government leaders unlock economic development, new business formation, and job growth. Data-driven insights, industry expertise and public-private partnerships help cities revitalize economies, attract businesses and better monetize community assets. Visit www.sunstonecities.com to learn more.