In partnership with Next Street and Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), Verizon Small Business Digital Ready aims to focus on women- and minority-owned businesses in under-resourced communities
OzSBI is proud to announce its plan to help bring a new online curriculum to small businesses across Southern Missouri: Verizon Small Business Digital Ready. In partnership with Next Street and LISC, the Verizon Small Business Digital Ready online curriculum is designed to give small businesses the tools they need to thrive in today’s digital economy, including access to personalized learning plans, coaching from experts and networking opportunities with diverse, industry-specific businesses.
More than 100,000 small businesses closed due to the pandemic, with a disproportionate impact on Women and Minority-owned small businesses. Verizon Small Business Digital Ready offers businesses support, aiming to enable digital readiness and drive digital transformation through a customized curriculum that accounts for industry, size and interests. OzSBI is proud to be working with Verizon to reach those businesses most in need of support within Southern Missouri.
“Grants for businesses are quite rare, and this one is packaged with a fantastic digital toolset that offers exactly the type of content that entrepreneurs are often looking for,” remarked Heather Fisher, CEO of OzSBI. “The curriculum around digital marketing, search engine optimization, understanding financial reports, maximizing your social media presence, and much more brings so much value to business owners in our area.”
Developed by small businesses, Verizon Small Business Digital Ready provides a personalized experience – providing resources, networking and coaching tailored to a small business’s specific needs. The program can help small businesses move forward with personalized learning, expert coaching, peer networking, and incentives, including the $10,000 grant.
To register and access, visit ozsbi.com/verizon-grant
The grant application period is open now and closes on June 28th, 2024. OzSBI encourages all business owners in the area to register for access to the free tools and take advantage of the grant opportunity.
This initiative is one part of Verizon’s commitment to providing one million small businesses with digital tools and resources by 2030 and is central to Verizon’s responsible business plan, Citizen Verizon, for economic, environmental and social advancement. Launched in 2020 to move the world forward for all, Citizen Verizon leverages technology, innovation and resources to address the world’s most pressing issues across digital inclusion, climate protection and human prosperity. As part of Citizen Verizon, Verizon plans to exceed $3 billion in its responsible business investment from 2020-2025 to continue helping vulnerable communities bridge the digital divide and prepare for the digital economy of the future.
