Business Leaders of Colors

Business Leaders of Colors BLOC: a combination of persons, groups, or nations forming a unit with a common interest or purpose (Merriam-Webster).

(Visit also our Facebook GROUP, and our website)

BLOC Connections is happening TODAY at 4:30 PM at K-HOUSE.Come connect with local business owners, entrepreneurs, creati...
09/17/2026

BLOC Connections is happening TODAY at 4:30 PM at K-HOUSE.

Come connect with local business owners, entrepreneurs, creatives, and community members. Share what you’re working on, what you need, what’s going well, and hear what others in the BLOC community are building.

Looking for a collaborator, a resource, an introduction, a new client, or just a chance to reconnect? This is the room to be in.

Members and non-members are welcome. Bring a friend and bring your business cards.

TODAY • 4:30-6:30 PM
K-HOUSE Karaoke & Arts Hub
121 W State St, Ithaca

BLOC Connections is back this Thursday, September 17.Join us at K-HOUSE for an evening of conversation, connection, and ...
09/15/2026

BLOC Connections is back this Thursday, September 17.

Join us at K-HOUSE for an evening of conversation, connection, and community with local entrepreneurs, professionals, creatives, and business leaders.

This is a chance to meet people, reconnect, share what you’re working on, and build relationships with others in our community.

Thursday, September 17
K-HOUSE Karaoke & Arts Hub
121 W Martin Luther King Jr St, Ithaca, NY 14850

Bring a friend. Bring your business cards. We’ll see you there!

Register at
https://www.businessleadersofcolors.com/event-calendar #!event/2026/9/17/bloc-connections-september-17

What could your family build together?Binghamton Builds is bringing local families together for a free 2-day Family Vent...
08/24/2026

What could your family build together?

Binghamton Builds is bringing local families together for a free 2-day Family Venture Workshop focused on turning ideas, skills, and interests into something you can build as a business.

Families will explore business ideas, marketing, pricing, money and credit, planning, and more, with hands-on guidance throughout the weekend.

October 10 & 11, 2026
9:00 AM–4:30 PM
120 Hawley St, Binghamton

Lunch is included, children's activities are available, and participating families may be eligible for a stipend of up to $300.

Only 10 families will be accepted.

Learn more and register:
binghamtonbuilds.community

Can people easily refer your business? Imagine someone you know meets the perfect customer for you tomorrow.Would they k...
08/19/2026

Can people easily refer your business? Imagine someone you know meets the perfect customer for you tomorrow.

Would they know how to explain what you do? Would they know why that person should talk to you?

This has come up again and again in our first few weeks of BLOC Connections Online. Here are three things you can fix right now:

1. GIVE PEOPLE ONE THING TO REMEMBER.

Look at your website, social media, or BLOC profile for 10 seconds.
What stays in your head?
You may offer ten different services. Your customer doesn’t need to remember all ten. They need one clear reason to think of you when the right need comes up.

2. MAKE THE VALUE OBVIOUS.

“I do photography, graphic design, and custom printing.”
Great. What does that do for me?

Try answering this:
I help [WHO] get [RESULT] by [WHAT YOU DO].
You don’t have to use that exact sentence in your marketing. But you should be able to answer it clearly.
If you can’t, your customer probably can’t either.

3. SHOW ME WHY I SHOULD BELIEVE YOU.

If you make something, show it.
If you improve something, show the result.
If people hire you for an experience, show the experience.

Ask one question about every photo, video, project, or Spotlight:
What does this prove?
Then look at your business as if you’ve never seen it before.
What do I do? Why should someone care? What should they do next?
Fix the first answer that isn’t obvious.

BLOC members can use photos, video, social links, additional contacts, and Spotlights to make their profiles stronger.

Because once people understand what you do, see the value, and remember you, they can do something incredibly useful: Refer you to the right person.

And don't forget to join us every Tuesday at noon for BLOC connections online.

Come find BLOC at the Ithaca Artist Market tomorrow!We’ll be at Booth  #13. When you come through the entrance, take a l...
08/13/2026

Come find BLOC at the Ithaca Artist Market tomorrow!

We’ll be at Booth #13. When you come through the entrance, take a left and we’ll be the 13th booth on your left.

Paying BLOC members who stop by can get a FREE professional headshot with Sheryl Sinkow while you’re there!

And don’t forget to register for the Artist Market raffle! Registration gives you 50 chances to win artwork and other prizes donated by participating artists, vendors, and local arts organizations.

The Ithaca Artist Market brings together 80+ local artists for an afternoon of art, food, wine, beer, desserts, and live music from the East Hill Jazz Group.

Friday, August 14
12:00–7:30 PM
Ithaca Farmers Market
Ithaca Farmers Market at Steamboat Landing
545 3rd Street, Ithaca, NY 14850

Come explore the market, support local artists, and make sure you stop by!

Binghamton families: earn up to $300 while learning how to build a business together.The Family Venture Workshop is a fr...
08/12/2026

Binghamton families: earn up to $300 while learning how to build a business together.

The Family Venture Workshop is a free 2-day experience for Binghamton families interested in entrepreneurship, whether you already have a business idea or are just starting to explore one.

Over the weekend, families will learn about business ideas, money and credit, marketing, pricing, planning, and how to turn their strengths into something they can build together.

October 10 & 11, 2026
9:00 AM–4:30 PM
120 Hawley St, Binghamton

Lunch is included, children's activities are available, and participating families may be eligible for a stipend of up to $300.

Only 10 families will be accepted.

Learn more and register:
https://www.binghamtonbuilds.community/

80+ local artists. One afternoon at the Ithaca Farmers Market.The Ithaca Artist Market is back Friday, August 14, bringi...
08/11/2026

80+ local artists. One afternoon at the Ithaca Farmers Market.

The Ithaca Artist Market is back Friday, August 14, bringing together more than 80 fine and functional artists, plus food, wine, beer, desserts, and live music from the East Hill Jazz Group.

Come browse, meet local artists, discover something new, and support the creative community right here in Tompkins County.

Friday, August 14
12:00–7:30 PM
Ithaca Farmers Market

Learn more and register for the raffle at ARTSPARTNER.ORG

Applications due August 15: Healing Leadership LabDr. Laura Colket of Whole Human Leadership is accepting applications f...
08/10/2026

Applications due August 15: Healing Leadership Lab

Dr. Laura Colket of Whole Human Leadership is accepting applications for the 2026–2027 Healing Leadership Lab, a 10-month journey focused on reclaiming wholeness, healing work culture, and humanizing how we lead.

The Lab is an intimate, cohort-based experience for senior leaders, institutional changemakers, creatives, and visionary practitioners, blending structured leadership inquiry with somatic practices, nervous system regulation, and creative expression.

The program runs September 2026 through June 2027, with virtual sessions and four in-person seasonal gatherings in the Ithaca area.

Apply by August 15.
A limited number of needs-based scholarships are available.

Learn more and apply:
https://www.healplaylead.com/leadership-lab

Business owners are often treated as if the business can be separated from the person carrying it but both are connected...
08/06/2026

Business owners are often treated as if the business can be separated from the person carrying it but both are connected.

Exhaustion affects decisions. Grief affects concentration. Stress affects creativity. Major personal changes can alter what someone has the capacity to lead, build or manage.

Not every difficult season can be solved with a new strategy, productivity system or marketing plan.

The new BLOC Business Sanctuary is a space to explore other forms of support. It brings together healers, guides and wellness practitioners working across spiritual guidance, energy work, movement, coaching, ceremony, creative practice and personal reflection.

Visitors can learn about each practitioner’s approach and connect directly with the person whose work speaks to them.

Sometimes supporting the business begins with supporting the person making every decision.

Explore the Business Sanctuary on our website businessleadersofcolors.com/business-sanctuary

The Right Time to Review Your InsuranceThe worst time to discover a gap in your insurance is after something has already...
08/05/2026

The Right Time to Review Your Insurance

The worst time to discover a gap in your insurance is after something has already happened.

Coverage that made sense a few years ago may no longer fit after you add an employee, introduce a new service, purchase equipment, move locations, sign a major contract or buy another vehicle.

The same is true outside of business. A new home, rental, pet or family responsibility can change what needs to be protected.

That is when having an actual person to call makes a difference.

Zach Clark’s State Farm office has received more than 400 reviews from clients who frequently mention quick assistance, clear explanations and the ability to reach a local team when they need help.

Insurance should not only exist on paper. You should understand what it covers and know who to call when something changes.

Connect with Zach and his Ithaca team myfingerlakesagent.com

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Address

Ithaca, NY
14850

Opening Hours

Monday 7am - 8pm
Tuesday 9am - 8pm
Wednesday 7am - 8pm
Thursday 9am - 8pm
Saturday 7am - 3pm

Telephone

(607) 279-7835

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