2 things NYC and New York small business owners can act on this week.

What. On July 23, 2026, Governor Hochul announced the Empire State MWBE Hub, a new mobile-friendly, cloud-based platform that modernizes how New York State runs its Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprise program. Built by Empire State Development's Division of Minority and Women's Business Development, it replaces a system that was more than a decade old. The Hub is live at mwbe.esd.ny.gov and handles the electronic submission and management of certification and recertification applications, direct communication with certification staff, certification appeals, and a searchable directory of NYS-certified M/WBE firms.

Who's affected. Every New York State–certified M/WBE firm, and every business currently applying for or up for recertification. If you have a certification or recertification in progress, this is now the front door for it.

What to do. Go to mwbe.esd.ny.gov, create or access your account, and confirm your business profile and any in-flight application carried over correctly. One important nuance: the Hub replaces the application-management and certified-directory functions only — compliance-related functions stay in the existing platform for now, with the certified M/WBE directory serving as the bridge between the two systems. So don't assume every task moved; check where your specific filing lives.

Why it matters. Certification and recertification delays are one of the most common ways firms lose eligibility windows. A faster, clearer application system is worth getting familiar with before your next deadline — not the week it's due.

Primary source: Empire State Development — Governor Hochul Announces Launch of the Empire State MWBE Hub →

What. On July 20, 2026, Mayor Mamdani announced “OPEN for Small Business” — a package of more than 50 regulatory reforms plus a new Executive Order aimed at cutting the paperwork and fees facing the city's roughly 180,000 small businesses. The reforms break down as 25 for food service and food retail, seven for transportation, five for other retailers, four for child care, three for industrial and commercial businesses, two for personal care, three for nonprofits running bingo and games of chance, and six that apply to every business in the city.

Who's affected. Nearly every kind of NYC small business, with the heaviest changes for food service and retail. A few concrete, already-moving items: DEP registration fees for commercial cooking equipment and food trucks drop from $110 to $0 for the next 12 months; sidewalk-café applications no longer need a separate layer of Mayoral approval; and license-renewal cycles are being extended for newsstand operators, pawnbrokers, second-hand dealers, sightseeing bus companies, scale dealers, and storage warehouses.

What to do. Three things you can use now. First, read the Business Owner Bill of Rights at nyc.gov/bizrights — it spells out how you should be treated during an inspection and what recourse you have (in the City's 2025 survey, only 9% of owners had ever received it). Second, if you're opening a business, the expanded NYC Business Express Service Team (NYC BEST) now assigns a single client manager to walk you through permitting, licensing, inspections, and compliance across agencies. Third, review the full list of 50-plus reforms to see which ones touch your business — note some are proposals still moving through the process, while others took effect immediately via the Executive Order.

Why it matters. Owners consistently say it isn't any single fee that wears them down — it's the paperwork and the inconsistency. Knowing your rights at inspection and having one point of contact removes real cost and lost time.

Primary source: NYC Mayor's Office — Mayor Mamdani Announces “OPEN for Small Business” →