New York, NY -- (ReleaseWire) -- 04/17/2014 --Silver Lining, Ltd., an organization dedicated to changing the economy by helping more small businesses succeed, today announces the launch of its SLAP In The City program - an initiative that was created to help small business owners in a single geographic region increase their chances of staying in business so that they are able to continue their efforts of local job creation, economic contribution and community involvement. NYC has been chosen as the inaugural city for the program.

“Silver Lining has been looking into ways that we can facilitate economic development for small businesses with our SLAP business growth program and our SLAPcenter online software. To date, most of our customers have come to us individually, but we wanted to see how we can play a much bigger role in helping communities build by increasing the profitability and sustainability of the small businesses in a selected geographic area.” said Carissa Reiniger, founder and CEO of Silver Lining, Ltd. “These could be already thriving communities that want to continue to develop jobs, community support and economic growth. Or, they could be communities in need of economic stimulus - from third world countries, such as Uganda; to communities dealing with disaster relief efforts, such as the areas hit by Hurricane Sandy or Haiti; to places suffering great economic depression, such as Detroit.”

“However, we chose NYC to debut the program because we believe that there is no better place to challenge a group of entrepreneurs to improve their own business and their local community, and set the stage for a program that can be replicated in cities around the world,” adds Reiniger

Program components and goals – SLAP In The City - NYC will give 100 small business owners in New York City the opportunity to incorporate the SLAP methodology into their organization, and create their unique SLAP - or Silver Lining Action Plan. The SLAP system is a business growth program that guides small business owners through the process of building a one-year financial goal; helps them create the action plan that will actually let them hit that goal - replacing the typical overly-complex business and marketing plans; and provides them with the accountability and resources needed to follow through on their action plan.

Each of the 100 small businesses selected to participate will receive a package worth $5000 to help them grown their business between May 2014 and June 2015. The package includes:

- Access to SLAPbootcamp - four down ‘n dirty sessions that walk small business owners through the preliminary steps of building out their action plan for the year.

- Full access to SLAPcenter, the do-it-yourself tool that guides them through the processes of building and executing their year-long SLAP

- A live kick-off session taught by Silver Lining, Ltd.’s Founder and CEO, Carissa Reiniger

- Live quarterly events where they will work with experts to ensure they are on track with their plan and be given the opportunity to network with other small business owners in the program

- Access to additional training, tools and resources that will be provided throughout the year to keep them on track to hit their goals.

- Great prizes from our program sponsors and supporters throughout the year.

- Access to successful entrepreneurs and small business owners who will be mentors to program participants.

- Exposure for their business

“As the year progresses, and the participants get further into the program, we will be tracking and reporting on the participants successes - including revenue growth, job creation, and how our program is stimulating the local economy and positively impacting the community.” said Reiniger

Small business owners in the five boroughs of New York City – the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island – can apply to be part of the program until May 1, 2014. All individuals selected to be part of the program will be notified by May 6, 2014.

The program kick-off session and live event will take place on May 13, 2014 and is being hosted by the program’s community partner, Wix, at the Wix Lounge in Chelsea. An avid supporter of small businesses, Wix provides everything needed to create beautiful, free websites and provides a free co-working space for NYC small businesses.

The cost of the program – $500,000 – is being funded by Silver Lining, Ltd and a group of small business advocates and supporters. To see the full list of program advocates and community partners that have come together to support the SLAP In the City initiative in NYC, visit: http://silverlininglimited.com/slapinthecity/nycpartners

To apply to be a part of the program, or to nominate a small business to be a part of the program, visit: http://silverlininglimited.com/slapinthecity/

About Silver Lining, Ltd.
Silver Lining, Ltd. is extremely dedicated to increasing the success rate of small businesses. Since our inception in 2005, Silver Lining, Ltd., has helped small business owners grow by providing products, tools and resources so that they can adopt and implement the SLAPmethodology into their organization. This 5-step growth program helps small business owners make better decisions about how they spend their vital time and money- which means they will actually set AND hit their financial goals and build a profitable, sustainable business. Small business owners can access a SLAP for their own business through our proprietary SLAPcenter DIY software product and by working one-on-one with our certified SLAPexperts. Having spent the better part of the last decade living, eating and breathing all things small business, we have also had the privilege of spending a lot of time with other thought leaders - learning and sharing together. Through those experiences some of our greatest achievements have come, including our Coalition Committed to Growing Small Business (2008-2010), Thank You Small Business and SLAP In The City. For more information about Silver Lining, Ltd. visit http://silverlininglimited.com/ or connect with us on Facebook or Twitter.