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, 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

$65,000 - $72,000 annual salary, depending on qualifications and experience.

Benefits

NEON is proud to offer an incredibly robust benefits package to employees:

• Generous Paid Time Off (PTO) starting at 18 days per year
• 10 paid holidays, 2 floating holidays and a seasonal paid office closure for a week at the end of each 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
• NEON pays for basic life insurance with the option for additional employee-paid coverage
• NEON also 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.

Because NEON is a member with Metropolitan Alliance of Connected Communities (MACC) who partners with St. Mary’s University, NEON employees and their spouses are also eligible for the following benefits at St. Mary’s University:

• Discounted tuition for Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctorate programs
• Professional development opportunities
• Access to advancement (internships, job placement, field practice)

NEON is seeking a Business Advisor to provide mentorship, guidance, and technical assistance to clients, helping them refine business ideas, develop strategies, and navigate challenges, while also advising on business development, growth strategies, and operational best practices; facilitating trainings and workshops relevant to small business owners; managing a caseload of local entrepreneurs and businesses with ongoing support and expertise; and performing administrative tasks that advance the Business Development team’s objectives and NEON’s broader mission.

Responsibilities will include the following:

Administrative Support for Case Management

• Recruit and engage new clients, assisting with business idea assessment, pre-venture planning, start-up processes, and existing business needs.
• Manage, assess, and advise a caseload of approximately 25–40 business clients.
• Provide business readiness coaching and develop individualized work plans to help clients achieve their business goals.
• Track monthly client progress and ensure alignment with programmatic objectives.

Administrative Support for Technical Assistance

• Assist clients in identifying capital needs, sources, and preparing documentation for loan applications.
• Review and provide guidance on business and strategic plans to strengthen clients’ business models.
• Support clients with bookkeeping setup, maintenance, and the use of financial statements as management tools.
• Advise clients on business registration, licensing, marketing plans, and regulatory compliance relevant to their business model.
• Guide clients through proof-of-concept processes and support space selection, lease agreements, and real estate procurement.
• Submit reports in accordance with funder guidelines.
• Provide one-on-one consulting to training class participants.
• Assist clients with contract bidding, estimating, and obtaining business certifications.

Administrative Support for Training and Workshops

• Deliver business-related workshops and trainings to clients.
• Instruct and facilitate NEON’s entrepreneur training classes.

Who You Are

• You have a bachelor’s degree in a business-related field or an equivalent combination of education, entrepreneurial experience, and work history.
• You have at least 3 years of experience working with clients from diverse economic backgrounds and in multicultural environments.
• You possess knowledge of financial accounting and familiarity with Point of Sale (POS) software such as QuickBooks, Square, and TurboTax.
• Preferably, you have experience in financial reporting and/or IRS tax preparation.
• You are proficient with CRM platforms, preferably Salesforce.
• You have strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple competing priorities.
• Your listening, verbal, and written communication skills are excellent.
• You feel comfortable delivering training and presentations to both small and large groups.
• You are committed to providing high-quality customer service and maintaining standards of excellence.
• You have strong computer skills and the ability to analyze data, read financial statements, and understand basic accounting/bookkeeping functions.
• Your interpersonal skills are exceptional, and you can build and maintain professional relationships across diverse groups.
• You are dependable, punctual, and demonstrate a positive, professional attitude.
• 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/resources
• Contents/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_Right
• ToWork
• Poster%20Eng_Es.pdf.