ATLANTA — One partnership will provide digital marketing training to small Hispanic-owned businesses.
Financial company TrueFund Financial Services and web domain company GoDaddy are now accepting applications for their first Empower en Espanol cohort.
Dr. Kim Evans, Senior Vice President and Managing Director for National Market Operations for TruFund Financial Services, explains the training aims to close the digital divide amongst Hispanic small businesses.
"This partnership is critical, especially at this time when we saw with COVID-19, many business owners had to pivot to that digital model," Dr. Evans said. "So this is another opportunity for us to help close the digital divide in the market."
She tells 11Alive that the marketing training will be offered across New York, Alabama, Louisiana, Texas and Georgia.
According to Dr. Veronica Ramirez, Program Officer for TruFund Financial Services, all training will be offered in Spanish and English, allowing for more inclusivity.
Networking, mentoring and online tools for building websites will be provided at no cost to those accepted into the program.
"Those participating entrepreneurs that go through the full cohorts with TruFund and our partners will have access to various GoDaddy products for two years at no cost and then an additional five years at 50% off," Dr. Evans tells 11Alive.
Program Qualifications
Dr. Evans explains that businesses must have existed for at least 12 months or more before applying and have some business revenue generated to qualify.
"Those are business owners that have been in existence at least 12 months or more and have already started generating some revenue and are looking to really utilize these tools to either pivot their business model or grow to be a more sustainable and viable business," Dr. Evans said.
The U.S. Small Business Administration reports that nearly one in four new businesses are Hispanic-owned. The 6-week digital marketing training aims to help businesses across the U.S. grow.
"It's a really great opportunity for business owners that are really looking to enhance their digital resources and learn more about search engine optimization and how they can grow their business using digital tools," Dr. Evans explains.
The first Empower en Espanol cohort will begin on October 13 and last six weeks.
To access the Spanish application, click here.
To access the English application, click here.