new york – Verizon's Small Business Digital Ready Program is a free resource that gives small businesses access to more than 50 courses, expert-led workshops, in-person and virtual networking, grants and other incentives, and today opened 300,000 small businesses across the United States. Congratulations on reaching the enterprise. This milestone marks significant progress toward his Verizon goal of reaching 1 million small businesses by 2030.
Of the 300,000 businesses reached by Small Business Digital Ready, 51% are women-owned, 62% are Black or Hispanic-owned, and 40% are less than two years old, often the most volatile market for new entrants. It's that time of year. Small and medium-sized enterprises.
Active users of Small Business Digital Ready (defined as those who have completed at least two resources on the platform this year) are also eligible to apply for the program's national $10,000 grant awarded to selected applicants. The latest state aid cycle is valid until June 28, 2024 at 11:59 PM PT.
Rose Stuckey Kirk, Verizon's Chief Corporate Social Responsibility Officer, said: “Verizon leverages our technology and innovation to advance economic empowerment and enable communities to thrive through Small Business Digital Ready. This program aims to support 1 million small businesses by 2030. We're excited to celebrate this important milestone today as part of Citizen Verizon, our responsible business plan with ambitious goals.
“While it’s important that we reach 300,000 businesses, it’s important to note that that’s not the whole story of our work. Small businesses using Digital Ready are reporting real value. In fact, 77% of respondents to the Small Business Digital Ready survey said their platform had some effect on increasing revenue or profitability, and 78% said their platform had an effect on customer growth. When small businesses thrive, communities thrive.”
Verizon Small Business Digital Ready partners with Local Initiative Support Corporation (LISC) and Next Street to provide you with personalized tools and resources. Popular courses include building your brand, building a communications strategy, financing your business, and cybersecurity.
The platform also has a dedicated Spanish language site that offers Spanish-only courses. From the 2024 Latinx Small Business Survey, Verizon Business learned that 82% of Latinx small business owners surveyed are currently seeking outside support to adapt to changing customer needs. Ta. We also continue to seek help in other areas such as finance, cybersecurity, and marketing, to name a few.
Small Business Digital Ready is part of Citizen Verizon, the company's responsible business plan for economic, environmental and social progress. Citizen Verizon helps his company fulfill its mission to advance the world through action by expanding digital access and resources, protecting the climate, and ensuring people have the skills they need for in-demand jobs. Masu. Through Citizen Verizon and its core pillars of digital inclusion, climate protection, and human flourishing, the company's responsible business goals include providing digital skills training to 10 million young people by 2030; This includes supporting 1 million small businesses with resources to help them thrive. He will achieve net zero emissions in business operations by 2030 by 2035 and prepare 500,000 individuals for the jobs of the future by 2030. For more information, visit CitizenVerizon.com.
**Based on 2,009 survey respondents from small business Digital Ready users
