On a a rolling basis each month we feature small businesses and nonprofits from our Local Content Exchange to provide a window into what organizations are advancing their local market. Meet Saloni Sharma (Managing Partner) and Vladimir Sterlin, MBA (Managing Partner) of Le Roi Capital.
I.What unique challenges have you faced as a small business and how have you overcome them?
A unique challenge we have faced as a new business is going up against titans within the consulting/government relations
industry, running up against old and established ways of doing business that are synonymous with the “right” way to get things done. We have enormous respect for the old guard that has paved the way for a new generation such as ourselves, and we hope there will be due and fair consideration given to a new set of methodologies that can be equally effective too.
We do believe there is room for everyone at the table. Another unique challenge is the saying, “building a company while the plane is in the air”. Being a part of the economic development industry for over ten years has saved us a lot of time in gaining footing yet organizing a new company from accounting to oversight while still competing for clients offers a test of pure will and grit as new small business owners.
II.Can you share a particularly rewarding experience or success story that highlights the impact your business has had on the local community?
A rewarding experience we’ve had operating Le Roi Capital was the opportunity to represent a non-profit education entity that services the needs of black and brown students. Our ecosystem and relationships opened up new funding opportunities for this non-profit which is affording the ability to be able to branch out and provide services to a wider net. Non-profits from the local community tend to only know their respective community yet one must be willing to broaden their scope and do outreach to new frontiers; Le Roi Capital provided that platform to do so and will continue to do so.
Housing is a human right, an obligation which Le Roi Capital does not take lightly. One of our clients is a real estate development firm involved heavily in the affordable housing space. Our goal with them was to advocate for a new and improved version of the outdated NYS 421-A tax abatement; we worked diligently with the NYS Governor’s Office & NYS / NYC Legislators for over six months. We lobbied for a revamped tax abatement by showcasing models of deal financing to lawmakers and explaining how this is intrinsically linked to the supply of housing. As a new firm, we are tremendously proud and thrilled to have played a small but significant part in the highly ambitious housing policy agenda in the 2024 legislative cycle.
We were also able to deliver a significant win for our client by hosting NYS Governor Kathy Hochul at a major groundbreaking event that was also used by the State as an opportunity to make housing related announcements early
this year.
III.In your experience, what are the most significant factors that contribute to creating a supportive and friendly business environment for small businesses ?
Based on over a decade of experience within the business development and government relations world, we have created Le Roi Capital with a hands-on approach, and a forceful and relentless methodology to serving our respective clients. Stakeholders today are faster, modern and are in need of remedies to solutions from a global lens. Le Roi Capital prides itself on being diverse ethnically and always applying a woman-led leadership approach with a sharp eagle eye. As a firm with a system of fulfilling our clients needs, we intend on being supportive within an aggressive business environment by having our clients understand we are a team first with the mindset to see you win.
The most significant factors that contribute to creating a supportive and friendly environment for small businesses to us is being able to do for our clients what we would want done for us. Le Roi Capital serves our clients in a fashion that is client based above all as the primary and their needs remain the constant.
IV.What advice would you give to new entrepreneurs looking to start a business in this industry, especially in your local area?
The best advice we would give a new entrepreneur looking to start a business in this consulting/government relations industry is your network is your net worth. You may not know everything yet remain confident, talk to people and read as much as you can to educate yourself so you may educate your client. Be useful to your ecosystem, although you may take, you must give back to that ecosystem as well.
V.How can local government and the community better support small businesses like yours to ensure their growth and sustainability?
The best way local government and the community better support small businesses like Le Roi Capital is to understand the intrinsic value a company such as this offers to not only the community but to all parties involved – from businesses to the
elected officials. As a company, we understand stakeholders and their needs and the needs our prospective clients have. A support mechanism is needed within the black and brown communities business sector. In identifying this matter, local government has the power to enhance change from the ground up.
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Le Roi Capital is a full-service government relations and economic development firm, achieving growth through goal-oriented processes.
