Tacolicious Link

Through her participation in the Start‐Up NY program and working closely with her SBDC advisor, Della Brown has realized her dream. Her focus and unselfish efforts have been rewarded with the embodiment of Tacolicious, a unique taco shop located at 308 S. Warren St. in Syracuse, NY.

Della is the client we all wish for. As we assisted with her business plan development, she provided the research results and contact details, as well as utilized resources to provide the necessary information. Ultimately, she was able to determine her product costs to the penny. Della contacted many local realtors and endured the frustration of dealing with potential landlords who could not embrace her vision. She steadily maintained her commitment to her standards of operation and refused to lower them to accommodate a potential business associate. She withstood one building owner’s presumption that she would not be able to earn enough to pay his rent because of her disability. His building still remains empty. Out of frustration often come rewards. Della learned about the Paradise Market that was opening up to provide weekend access and exposure for small businesses, especially those building a reputation and following. Della had already been awarded funding by the Cooperative Federal Credit Union through an IDA and a small business loan. Additionally, she had received a gift from a family member enabling her to purchase her signage and the equipment she needed to establish a presence at the market. Soon after securing her booth at the market, she was able to make contact with the landlord of a downtown site in which she was interested. Della had gained the confidence to operate her business as she had envisioned as well as the security of knowing that she always had the market presence if other venues didn’t pan out. She has also had the opportunity to hire a part‐time worker and train her in the operation of the business. All of this experience will prove invaluable as Della runs her “dream business”.