SARANAC LAKE | A regional partnership focused on retaining small businesses in northern New York State has launched a program that welcomes aspiring entrepreneurs to visit communities where they might be interested in operating a business.

The North Country Center for Businesses in Transition (CBIT) partnership has launched its Familiarization Tour Program, which is designed to introduce potential business owners to local business communities, economic development organizations, and the natural, recreational and cultural assets the region offers.

The tours will allow participants to explore Franklin and surrounding North Country counties, visit current businesses for sale, tour local communities with representatives from chambers of commerce and economic development organizations, and shadow business owners who are working with CBIT to transition their operations to new owners. The tours will be partially or fully subsidized for eligible participants and customizable to their unique interests.

“The trips will be tailored to meet the needs of a wide variety of participants in a short amount of time,” said Adirondack North Country Association (ANCA) Entrepreneurial Economy Program Director Danielle Delaini. “It will be a whirlwind tour for most. In just a few days, individuals will make the number of connections they would typically need to make over the course of several months in order to take over an existing business.”

Read the full article in the Sun Community News.