Digital program paves the way for small business owners to learn critical skills

With new technologies emerging at a rapid pace, it’s more important than ever for business owners to stay abreast of new strategies and platforms that can help their businesses grow. The Verizon Small Business Digital Ready program, for example, provides free resources, networking and coaching sessions tailored to meet entrepreneurs and their unique needs. 

“You start a business with a dream and then you see how complicated it is,” says Yudy Carrera, CEO and owner of Events by Yudy in New York. As a business owner, Yudy wears many different hats to ensure her catering and event planning business runs smoothly. In an interview with the Verizon team, she shared that the marketing skills she learned in the Small Business Digital Ready program helped her take the next steps to becoming the owner of an event space to host weddings, baby showers, and more. 

Similarly, Martu Freeman-Parker, CEO of M.E.F. Productions in Florida, leveraged the portal’s wide array of courses to overcome challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. “Going from having meetings in-person to doing workshops and bootcamps online was easy, but getting traction on my website and social media accounts was a different story,” said Martu. She needed tips to get her online presence off the ground and after enrolling in relevant Verizon Small Business Digital Ready digital marketing courses, she was able to implement new design techniques on her own that empowered her journey.

Small business owners may sign up for the free digital platform here. See some of the on-demand courses available to entrepreneurs like you:

Keep your credit in good shape: How to use it, not lose it: Learn the key terms and concepts you need to understand about credit, why credit is so important, and how to build a credit score that will unlock the funding you need for your business. 

Getting certified: Paths for minority/women-owned businesses: If you haven’t heard about business certification for diverse businesses, either at the corporate or government level, it’s about time you dive in. This beginner course covers all the basics, including why you should consider becoming certified, the benefits of obtaining certification, the common mistakes and roadblocks to avoid, and how to go about the process in your state.

Planning for the unexpected: Building resiliency into your business: You cannot predict disruptions and their impacts on your small business. What you can do is embrace a futurist mindset of recovery and resiliency, seeing new possibilities before disruption strikes. This beginner course covers how small businesses can be prepared to adapt, innovate, and plan for the unknown. 

Selling with storytelling: Unlock your business superpower: Storytelling, if harnessed, can be your greatest financial resource and the blueprint for your business's success. In this course, you'll learn the power of telling your story and how it can be leveraged to activate investors, clients, and brand ambassadors. Use storytelling to unlock funding, scale your business, and build community. 

Venturize, powered by Small Business Majority, is a proud partner of Verizon. Testimonials mentioned in this article are provided by Verizon.