City of Birmingham’s Santayana Woods is ready to be your business partner
Santayana Woods grew up as an ambitious child.
After spending a couple of her high school years at Ramsay High School, she decided to transfer to A. H. Parker High School. But after a few months, she changed her mind and asked her mother if she could transfer back to Ramsay.
That day, Woods learned a valuable lesson.
“I wanted to flip-flop,” Woods said. “But that’s not what my mother wanted. She said, ‘you made a decision, now stick with that decision.’”
In times of uneasiness, she leans on that lesson of perseverance – a lesson that has served her well as the City of Birmingham’s business support specialist.
As of January, Woods has worked to help business owners set up new accounts with the city, often serving as the city’s one-woman welcoming committee for entrepreneurs. Her office is located on the first floor of Birmingham City Hall.
“I work to make them feel welcome to the city, to make them feel comfortable and relaxed, and to let them know, ‘hey, you made the right decision to join us here,’” she said.
Woods serves roughly 45 business owners a month, ranging from an array of services like construction and car detailing to peddlers and even crime-scene cleanup crews.
The process of setting up a business may seem daunting but Woods relishes her role of being a connector and a comforter.
“Some come in and they don’t know where to start or what to do,” she said. “But I try to make them feel comfortable. If you’re just nice to people, you can get so much done.”
For more information on applying for a tax certificate, call (205) 254-2198.
If you’re interested in starting a business of your own, free seminars will be held Tuesday, May 21 and Tuesday, June 18 at noon at the Birmingham Public Library’s Linn-Henley Research Building in the fourth-floor auditorium. Contact Valencia Fisher at (205) 254-2799 or valencia.fisher@birminghamal.gov to register or more information.
