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, which includes content in English and Spanish, 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 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 4 launch event, Walton showcased two grant opportunities currently open to Miami-based small businesses:
- $10,000 - requires the completion of two basic program courses
- $25,000 - requires the two basic courses plus another five and a one-minute video about the business. Added bonus: tickets and accommodations to Super Bowl 2025
Ana Maria Jaramillo, director of College Para Todos, which sells college and exam preparation books, attended the Verizon Small Business Digital Ready presentation in search of operational and legal information to better run the company.
“I need help with hiring and other operations procedures as well as marketing,” said Jaramillo, who launched the home-based business in 2019 shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic. “I’ve been successful with support from several grants.”
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 one million small businesses with resources to help them thrive in the digital economy.
For more information and to register for the program visit: https://go.fiu.edu/digitalready.