Expert Insights for Asian American and Pacific Islander Small Business Owners

The Asian American and Pacific Islander community play an integral role in America’s small business economy. In celebration of AAPI Heritage Month we are joined by Carlton Chen, Leland Dear and John Xu. These experts will be sharing tips, strategies, and information that can make a real impact on AAPI business owners. In this webinar you will learn: Five benefits to starting your own business Loan programs available to you and how to apply to them Why it is essential to retain a business lawyer Presenter: Carlton Chen Carlton is a SCORE Mentor and SME in corporate and business law. He is a general practice lawyer at Kurien Ouellette LLC in Connecticut and Jia Law Group P.C. in New York, and handles acquisitions, employment, real estate, and litigation for his law firms’ clientele. He also is a business development consultant to Chinese healthcare clients. Carlton began his legal career at the Federal Trade Commission and previously was a lawyer at a large Connecticut law firm and Fortune 500 corporations, as well as vice president, general counsel & secretary at a major U.S. defense company. He earned a BA in economics from Columbia University and a JD from New York University School of Law. He is a member of the New York and Connecticut Bar. Presenter: Leland Dear Leland has over 33 years of experience in the California Bay Area with retail, restaurants, real estate and now retirement. He is a Volunteer for East Bay SCORE, Alameda CERT, CAL Parents Ambassadors and Red Cross. Leland also has experience mentoring startups on how to create a business plan, identifying problems in sales strategies, developing a business team, buying real estate and property management. Presenter: John Xu John Xu has over 25 years of combined public and private sector experience in small business banking and lending, global business management, international trade, supply chain management, export finance and insurance. Currently, Xu works as Lender Relations Specialist and District International Trade Officer at Connecticut SBA District Office. His job is to train the lenders on SBA 7 (a) and 504 loan programs, SBA loan underwriting, servicing and guarantee purchase, in addition to small business counseling.