Sacramento’s Business Solutions Center Helps Local Businesses Find Their Next Step

The City of Sacramento’s Business Solutions Center offers local entrepreneurs free expert guidance, funding opportunities, and data tools designed to help businesses start, grow, and thrive.

For Bob Simpson, owner of Townie, a small bar on K Street, that assistance helped him reach customers near Golden 1 Center.

On event nights, thousands of people visit the area, many of whom search online for places to eat and drink before or after an event. “They’re coming out of the arena and they’re typing in, ‘Where do I go for a cool place to have a drink?’ Before, Townie didn’t pop up because we didn’t have a Google ads account,” Simpson said.

Through the City of Sacramento’s Business Solutions Center, Simpson received guidance on improving Townie’s online presence and using tools like Google ads to reach nearby customers in real time.

“I started doing it and I saw instant results,” Simpson said.

For Simpson, the experience was not just about marketing. It was about discovering that city support was available.

“I feel that any operator needs to look into the Business Solutions Center,” he said. “It’s been very beneficial, not only financially, but educationally.”

His experience captures one of the central goals of the city’s Business Solutions Center: helping Sacramento businesses identify a practical next step for growth and helping them take that step.

From Advice to Action

Over the programs first 15 months of operation, the BSC, in partnership with its lead partner, California Capital Financial Development Corporation, has supported more than 300 business clients and delivered 1,700 hours of technical assistance. Last year, participating businesses reported $1.62 million in external grants and loans secured, $2.15 million in increased sales, and 21 new businesses started.

Those numbers are important, but the individual stories show what the program looks like in practice.

At Sammy’s Restaurant, owner Naz Begum used counseling and a microgrant to purchase essential equipment and stabilize a neighborhood business. Beyond Words Productions used BSC support to clarify its growth strategy, reach new videography clients, and fund outreach and administrative help. Ancient Sun Date Shakes, a refrigerated beverage company launched by a recent college graduate, used advising and financial support to prepare for retail expansion beyond farmers markets. In each case, the business need was different. The common thread was that each business had a goal and needed help turning it into an actionable plan.