Verizon Expands Small Business Digital Program in Miami with Help from Florida SBDC at FIU Business

The Verizon Small Business Digital Ready online platform has expanded its outreach to South Florida-based businesses in partnership with the Florida Small Business Development Center (FSBDC) at FIU Business as a local recruiting partner.

The program is an educational platform for small businesses – for-profit and registered with the state – to help them grow and scale in the digital economy through free online courses, mentoring and coaching with industry experts, networking events, and opportunities to apply for grants.

"We want to make sure that what happened during COVID, where many small businesses had to close due to a lack of an online presence, doesn't happen again," said Angela Walton, south regional lead for the Local Initiatives Support Corporation, which oversees the Verizon Small Business Digital Ready Program. "This free platform brings quality education directly to the people who want to be entrepreneurs and the small businesses that are already operating."

The self-paced program was created by business owners, she added. Topics covered in the courses include finance, digital marketing, business planning, branding, cybersecurity, developing a marketing strategy and improving the employee experience.

"FSBDC at FIU Business is proud to help expand the reach of this excellent program," said Brian Van Hook, regional director of FSBDC at FIU Business. "The Verizon Small Business Digital Ready program is a game changer for local businesses looking to level up their digital footprint and gain insights for growing their business."

At the November 2024 launch event, Walton showcased two grant opportunities that were open to Miami-based small businesses:

$10,000 – required the completion of two basic program courses.

$25,000 – required the two basic courses plus another five and a one-minute video about the business. Added bonus: tickets and accommodations to Super Bowl 2025.

Verizon Small Business Digital Ready is part of Citizen Verizon, the company's responsible business plan for economic, environmental and social advancement. By 2030, the initiative seeks to support 1 million small businesses with resources to help them thrive in the digital economy.