Mayor Michael Bloomberg addressed the Graduation of Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Class recently at LaGuardia Community College.
The mayor just might have been the perfect man for the job. After all, Bloomberg is not only the leader of the city, but he’s also one of the most successful businessmen of this generation.
Following a warm introduction from Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein, Bloomberg addressed the 30 graduating entrepreneurs, and their families and friends who were in attendance.
“If you look at the passion and the drive on this stage, this is what I love about New York City,” the mayor said. “Institutions like Goldman Sachs working hand-in-hand with communities that drive growth and job creation.”
The ceremony on May 25 included a video presentation, highlighting how the program has changed the lives of these entrepreneurs, while depicting the everyday struggle of owning a business.
Almost all of the men and women in the program have struggled with their specific businesses in the past and with the help of Goldman Sachs 10,000, they have already brought in more clients and contracts and even obtained business loans that they could have never received before. During the 20-week course, the small business owners took classes in accounting, human resources, negotiation and marketing, as well as received one-on-one mentoring.
Bloomberg also talked about his own struggles early on in his business life, saying his career as a small business owner started after he got fired from the only job he had after school.
“The key thing was, even after getting fired, I was an optimist,” Bloomberg said. “The very next day, I started a company that would make real-time financial information available to everyone sitting right at their desks.”
The graduating class then had the chance to shake hands with the mayor and Blankfein, while receiving their diplomas from LaGuardia Community College President Gail Mellow.
Bloomberg concluded his address with a message about hard work and the importance of small businesses in our city.
“When you walk into a store at the end of the day and you want to know who the owner is, you look for the person, man or woman, with the broom in their hand,” he said. “They’re the ones that are outworking everybody else. They are the future of this country.”
