How LISC + Verizon Are Helping BIPOC and Women Entrepreneurs Prepare for a Digital Future—and Present
An article in AfroTech describes how Verizon Small Business Digital Ready, a partnership between Verizon, LISC and NextStreet, offers a free curriculum to give small businesses the tools they need to thrive in the digital economy. As LISC CEO Lisa Glover points out, for the entrepreneurs hit hardest by the ongoing financial repercussions of the pandemic, “it’s more important than ever to have a solid digital presence.”
Photo: AfroTech
The excerpt below was originally published on:
How Verizon Is Helping Small Businesses Prepare For A Digital Future
By Natalie Webb, AfroTech
For many small businesses, especially those owned by women and people of color, navigating the existing COVID economy presents new opportunities and challenges — particularly when it comes to the digital demands required to operate in today’s business world.
That’s why Verizon teamed with Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) and Next Street to create Verizon Small Business Digital Ready, a free online curriculum designed to give small businesses the tools they need to thrive in the digital economy. It includes access to personalized learning plans, coaching from experts, and networking opportunities with diverse, industry-specific businesses.
“When you look at the businesses that were hardest hit during this pandemic, they were retailers and restaurants and salons — traditionally the types of businesses that have high percentages of ownership by women and people of color.”
— Lisa Glover, LISC Interim CEO
“As our country works to help all sectors regain their financial footing, there is a strong need to focus on small businesses, who are the backbone of our economy. The past two years revealed that the lack of a digital presence, appropriate tech resources and support systems made it difficult for some small business owners to survive,” says Rose Stuckey Kirk, Senior Vice President and Chief Corporate Social Responsibility Officer at Verizon. “We knew we had to step in and help.”
LISC Interim CEO Lisa Glover knows there’s a need and opportunity to help women-owned businesses and entrepreneurs of color, who all too often get caught in the crosshairs when unforeseen events occur.
“When you look at the businesses that were hardest hit during this pandemic, they were retailers and restaurants and salons — traditionally the types of businesses that have high percentages of ownership by women and people of color,” she says. “It’s more important than ever for those businesses to have a solid digital presence, and I think the Verizon Small Business Digital Ready curriculum helps these businesses build the digital operations that are really critical.”