Business Advisor

Who We Are

The Northside Economic Opportunity Network's (NEON) mission is to build wealth for low-to-moderate-income entrepreneurs in North Minneapolis and surrounding communities. Our vision is to transform North Minneapolis and the surrounding area into a prosperous, visible, sustainable, and highly diverse multi-cultural community of entrepreneurs. We work with individuals at various stages of entrepreneurship - from "information seekers" to existing business entities, providing a roadmap to start, grow and thrive as scalable businesses.

Why You'll Love Working Here

NEON promotes economic equity by identifying business ownership as a path toward income generation and long-term asset building. NEON will increase work to start, support, sustain, and expand the number of culturally diverse businesses owned and operated in North Minneapolis. We strive for the best customer service in the world, the relentless pursuit of excellence, and respect for the individual. Working with our team provides an opportunity to utilize our collective power to improve and expand programs for the benefit of the North Minneapolis community where entrepreneurs can start, grow and thrive.

Wages & Benefits

$65,000 - $72,000 annual salary; NEON is proud to offer an incredibly robust benefits package to employees. Generous Paid Time Off (PTO) starting at 18 days per year, plus ten paid holidays, two floating holidays and a seasonal paid office closure for a week at the end of the year; 100% employer-paid health, dental, and vision insurance for employees and their families; Health Savings Account (HSA) fully-funded by NEON for individual or family coverage. There is employer paid basic life insurance with the option for additional coverage paid by the employee. The employer pays for Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) and long-term disability insurance. NEON sponsors a retirement plan with a 6% employer match and immediate vesting.

What You'll Do

The Business Advisor plays a key role in NEON's Business Development team by supporting local entrepreneurs and small businesses as they grow. In this position, you'll provide mentorship, guidance, and practical technical assistance to help clients refine their ideas, build strong business strategies, and overcome challenges. You'll also facilitate trainings and workshops, manage a caseload of small business owners, and contribute to administrative tasks that support the team's goals and NEON's mission of strengthening the communities we serve. Responsibilities include the following:

• Recruiting and engaging new clients, assisting with business idea assessment, pre-venture planning, start-up processes, and existing business needs.
• Managing, assessing, and advising a caseload of approximately 25-40 business clients.
• Providing business readiness coaching and developing individualized work plans to help clients achieve their business goals.
• Tracking monthly client progress and ensuring alignment with programmatic objectives.
• Assisting clients in identifying capital needs, potential funding sources, and preparing documentation for loan applications.
• Reviewing and providing guidance on business and strategic plans to strengthen clients' business models.
• Supporting clients with bookkeeping setup, maintenance, and the use of financial statements as management tools.
• Advising clients on business registration, licensing, marketing plans, and regulatory compliance relevant to their business.
• Guiding clients through proof-of-concept development and supporting space selection, lease agreements, and real estate procurement.
• Submitting reports in accordance with funder guidelines.
• Providing one-on-one consulting to participants in training classes.
• Assisting clients with contract bidding, estimating, and obtaining business certifications.
• Delivering business-related workshops and trainings to clients.
• Instructing and facilitating NEON's entrepreneur training classes.

Who You Are

• You have a bachelor's degree in a business-related field, or you bring equivalent knowledge through a mix of education, entrepreneurial experience, and work history.
• You have knowledge of financial accounting and are familiar with POS and financial software such as QuickBooks, Square, and TurboTax.
• You ideally have experience with financial reporting and/or IRS tax preparation.
• You have at least three years of experience working with clients from diverse economic backgrounds in multicultural environments.
• You are proficient with CRM platforms, preferably Salesforce.
• You are highly organized and able to manage multiple competing priorities with ease.
• You have strong listening skills and excellent verbal and written communication abilities.
• You feel comfortable delivering trainings and presentations to both small and large audiences.
• You work effectively independently, as part of a team, and in collaboration with diverse stakeholders.
• You are committed to providing high-quality customer service and maintaining high standards of excellence.
• You have strong computer skills and can analyze data, read financial statements, and understand basic accounting and bookkeeping functions.
• You bring exceptional interpersonal skills and excel at building and maintaining professional relationships across diverse groups.
• You have a valid driver's license, access to reliable transportation, and the ability to meet NEON's driving record requirements. Please note that if the license was not issued in the state of Minnesota, you have 60 days after becoming a Minnesota resident in which to apply for your Minnesota driver's license or permit.

Photography and Videography Participation: As a condition of employment or engagement with NEON, staff members may be photographed or recorded in the course of their work. This includes but is not limited to:

• Professional headshots for NEON's website, reports, or internal directories
• Candid or posed images during events, programs, or community engagements
• Interviews or feature segments for media, promotional videos, or social media

These images and recordings will be used solely to support NEON's mission and enhance public awareness of our work.

Diversity and open expression are fundamental to the work of NEON. We are passionate about building and sustaining an inclusive and equitable working environment where everyone can belong. Every member of our team enriches our work by exposing us to a broad range of ways to understand and engage with the world, identify challenges, and to discover, design, and deliver solutions. We welcome everyone to apply, especially those individuals who are underrepresented in our sector: individuals who identify as BIPOC, Indigenous or people of culture, LGBTQI+ and gender fluid or gender nonconforming, individuals with disabilities (both seen and unseen), veterans, people of any age or family status. We encourage you to apply even if you feel like you don't fit 100% of the technical requirements. Equal Opportunity Employer: All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, ancestry, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, familial status, disability, age, marital status, membership or activity in a local human rights commission, status with regard to public assistance, criminal history (justice-impacted status), housing or homelessness status, height, or weight.

Our organization has a partnership with Metropolitan Alliance of Connected Communities (MACC) to provide administrative services including management of the hiring process. If you apply for this position, you may see references to MACC in some online materials.

NEON participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S. See E-Verify's official poster at https://e-verify.uscis.gov/web/media/resourcesContents/E-Verify_Participation_Poster_ES.pdf. See E-Verify's Right to Work poster at https://www.e-verify.gov/sites/default/files/everify/posters/IER_RightToWorkPoster%20Eng_Es.pdf.