Sacramento, CA – Today, the California Entrepreneurship Task Force (ETF), with the support of the Office of the Small Business Advocate (CalOSBA) at the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz), hosted a rapid response session entitled, “Bridging Reopening: Digital Tools and Strategies.” The discussion featured leaders in the digital space sharing how small businesses can adapt to an online marketplace during COVID-19.
Earlier this week, Governor Newsom released updated industry guidance – including for retail, manufacturing and logistics – to begin reopening with modifications that reduce risk and establish a safer environment for workers and customers.
On April 27, Governor Newsom announced that he will be hosting a series of digital roundtables with leaders in the business community to discuss plans for reopening California’s economy. The roundtables are broken down by sector to allow discussion of the unique factors specific to each, including how to relaunch a business by pivoting online. This week’s roundtable featured speakers from the restaurant industry – including one of CalOSBA’s Small Business Development Center success stories, Nana’s Restaurants in the Imperial Valley – discussing what they are doing to put safety first and re-instill consumer confidence.
“In the spirit of the Governor’s digital roundtables, we know that California’s small businesses and entrepreneurs will come up with creative solutions to address the challenges created by this pandemic, and will be able to adapt to state guidelines in innovative ways,” said Isabel Guzman, Director of the CalOSBA and State Government Lead of the ETF. “We want to ensure they have access to every tool needed to meet this moment, including the resources provided by our small business center grantees across the state, which can help ‘webify’ California businesses. That’s why we are proud to host these webinars as we help to bolster the indomitable spirit of our small business owners and entrepreneurs.”
To watch today’s session, featuring speakers listed below, click here:
- Isabel Guzman, Director of the CalOSBA and State Government Lead of the ETF
- Dilawar Syed, ETF Chair and CEO, Lumiata
- Nuria S. Wolfe, Chief Marketing Officer and Co-Founder, Encantos
- Manal Richa, Business Consultant, OC/IE SBDC
California supports a network of federally contracted small business centers which provide free consulting and training to help businesses figure out which loans are right for them, develop resiliency strategies, and find other resources. The Small Business Center Network map is searchable by language capacity noting service in over 30 different languages. Find a center by clicking here.
The rapid response sessions for California small businesses and entrepreneurs occur every Friday, alternating in Spanish and English. To learn more about the next sessions, click here.
About GO-Biz
The Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) serves as the State of California’s leader for job growth and economic development efforts. GO-Biz offers a range of services to business owners including: attraction, retention and expansion services, site selection, permit streamlining, clearing of regulatory hurdles, small business assistance, international trade development, assistance with state government, and much more. For more information visit the GO-Biz website.
About CalOSBA
The Office of the Small Business Advocate (CalOSBA) helps support economic growth and innovation by working to ensure that California’s small businesses and entrepreneurs have the information, tools and resources they need to plan, launch, manage and grow their businesses successfully and be resilient. The CalOSBA serves to elevate their voices in state government and to advocate on their behalf to help ensure all aspiring and current small business owners and entrepreneurs are provided with the opportunity to access capital, access markets, and connect to the networks and resources they need to succeed. For more information visit the website.
Kaitlin Lewis
Assistant Deputy Director of Communications
Email Kaitlin, HERE
Phone: (916) 204-2107
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