Greater Buffalo Small Business Development Center

06/18/2026

Join us Saturday, June 20th for our first KidBiz Market of the summer! We have over 100 young entrepreneurs ready to run their own business. Find us by Buffalo SEM on Bidwell Parkway with the Farmer's Market!

06/02/2026

Matthew Casciano started Heat Retreat with a passion for sauna, contrast therapy (“cold plunge”), and the clarity they create. When pandemic isolation triggered anxiety, sauna became his reset. He hosted monthly “Sauna Sunday” potlucks which showed him how heat builds community and healing. Sauna offers rest and connection without alcohol’s downsides—people leave feeling healthy, rested and creatively inspired. Heat Retreat offers an accessible, elevated, community-driven way for Western New Yorkers to reset, connect, and feel grounded together.

Working with Stephanie Richards of Greater Buffalo SBDC, he received guidance on forming his LLC, obtaining an EIN, creating an operating plan, and meeting all federal, state, and local government guidelines to operate a legitimate business.

Matt has visions of growth for Heat Retreat with sauna rentals, a brick-and-mortar sauna and cold plunge space, and a clothing brand.

Check out Heat Retreat on Facebook & Instagram (), and their website: wnyheatretreat.com

05/18/2026

Sacred Community Nourishment was born from Ashley Smith’s journey into homesteading and her deepened relationship with food and the land she tends. Through this transformation, she came to understand food as a sacred bridge—connecting people to themselves, to one another, and to the Earth. Inspired to explore nourishment in community, she began sharing the skills she developed in growing food, baking sourdough, canning, and fermenting. As more people seek meaningful food skills and a renewed relationship with the natural world, Ashley sees education and joyful gatherings as powerful ways to meet that need. Her business offers a structured way to share her gifts while continuing to learn and grow alongside her community.

Sacred Community Nourishment provides public and private cooking classes, garden based educational experiences, and one on one mentoring rooted in Ashley’s home practice and lived experience. Whether the focus is sourdough, fermentation, or food preservation, each offering is designed as a supportive, welcoming space where new skills can truly take root. In her sourdough series, for example, participants don’t just learn techniques—they join a community that helps them build a practice they can apply in their own homes. Every person at the table is honored, and through conversation, hands on learning, and shared experience, participants grow together in ways that extend far beyond the kitchen.

Ashley began working with business advisor Stephanie Richards in October 2024. Aside from getting grant support for her website, the most valuable assistance she’s received is one-on-one guidance. She writes: “We met regularly in the beginning, and she helped me build skills that I did not have and needed to be able to start and run a business. She helped me create my business plan. She gives me space to soundboard and sort through all my ideas while offering feedback from her experience. I honestly don’t know how anyone starts a business without this kind of guidance. If it were not for Stephanie, SBDC, and their network of resources, this process would have felt impossible. With their support it is possible and I am now building and running a small business where I get to teach people skills, like sourdough baking and fermentation, and that feels so great.”

When you feel inspired to explore new foods, learn new kitchen skills, and meet new friends, take a class with Ashley of Sacred Community Nourishment. Her classes are offered with several community partners. www.sacredcommunitynourishment.com

05/06/2026

Join us for “The Procurement Playbook: A Hands-On Workshop for Winning Contracts” featuring Twyla N. Garrett on Thursday, May 28 at Buffalo State University!
Learn strategies for procurement, subcontracting, relationship building, and positioning your business for contract opportunities.
• Buffalo State University, Jacqueline Vito LoRusso Alumni & Visitor Center, 667 Grant St, Buffalo, NY 14213
• Networking at 4:30 PM | Workshop 5:00–7:30 PM
Register here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdnx8nosYc5Kf4WwwJS83Zv7h8_7tOri74b2Bv02VuC2l4FSg/viewform?usp=header

04/29/2026

04/29/2026

Heather McNaugton, interior designer and founder of Ebb & Flow Organizing Studio, has always had a passion for making messy spaces come alive through her innate creativity. Her inspiration comes from a desire to help others find balance, structure, and ease in their everyday lives; her journey toward creating harmony—both personally and professionally; and, of course, her husband and his ever-growing clutter! Recently, she realized that her experience in interior design and passion for organizing could work together in a powerful way by starting her own company. Heather’s background in interior design gives her an eye for space, proportion, and functionality, while organizing allows her to create order and clarity. By combining the two, she helps clients not just declutter, but transform their homes into spaces that feel open, balanced, and intentional. She supports her clients to create homes that are both beautiful and practical — and that truly make day-to-day life easier and more harmonious.

At Ebb & Flow Organizing Studio, Heather provides personalized organizing and downsizing services designed around the family home, their routines and priorities. Her hands-on approach involves organizing and managing the project from start to finish – creating a clear plan, working alongside the client to thoughtfully sort and make decisions, sourcing the right organizing solutions, coordinating donations or removal, and keeping everything moving forward. She handles the details, so the process feels manageable, steady, supported, and never overwhelming. Her goal is to help clients organize, release, and renew — restoring balance in the home and creating space that feels lighter, calmer, and intentional.

Working closely with Stephanie Richards, Certified Business Advisor: “I received thoughtful legal guidance along with strong, strategic business ideas and practical solutions that have helped keep me focused, organized, and thinking ahead instead of just reacting in the moment. Just as importantly, I’ve gained a trusted connection with someone outside my immediate circle, someone who can offer objective advice and honest perspective without any pressure to rush decisions. That space to talk things through, weigh options carefully, and move forward at my own pace has been incredibly valuable. It’s allowed me to grow with clarity and confidence, rather than feeling pushed or overwhelmed.”

“Building Ebb & Flow has been a journey of patience, growth, and learning to trust myself — and the process. I’m incredibly grateful for the steady support that has surrounded me — the encouragement from family and friends, and the invaluable guidance and expertise from the SBDC that helped bring clarity and structure to my vision. I’m honored to now carry that support forward, helping others create homes that feel lighter, calmer, and truly their own.”

Ebb & Flow Organizing Studio
Heather McNaughton
(716) 325-0571
https://ebbflow.studio