The California Office of the Small Business Advocate (CalOSBA), part of the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz), today announced a new partnership with the Eva Longoria Foundation, Stockton Strong/Goodstock Productions and State-supported Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) as part of CalOSBA’s ongoing “Get Digital CA!” initiative. The “Get Digital CA!” initiative promotes e-commerce adoption by small business owners and drives Californians to support small and local businesses online leading up to the holiday shopping season.
This partnership will create a first-of-its-kind, Digital Pop-Up Festival this December in Central California. The interactive festival will use social media channels to showcase live videos from small businesses as owners tell their stories, sell their products and services, and create new experiences for the customer. In preparation for the digital festival, and the holiday shopping season, the SBDCs will lead digital training bootcamps across all of California for small businesses that are new to e-commerce and digital marketing, and for those looking to improve their digital presence. Small businesses can register for the digital bootcamps at https://digital-bootcamp-ca.eventbrite.com.
“With more customers moving to online shopping, it’s more important than ever for small businesses to adopt new technology and get online,” said Isabel Guzman, CalOSBA Director. “The State of California, and our partners, are working hard to help all of our diverse small businesses in every step of this journey.”
In recent surveys, small businesses without pre-existing e-commerce were two times more likely to close – and with consumers increasingly moving online, U.S. e-commerce sales are on trend to double to $1 trillion by 2023.
“Businesses owned by people of color have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. The number of active businesses in the Latinx community alone has dropped by 32% since the start of the pandemic,” said activist, actress, director and producer Eva Longoria. “Small businesses form the economic heart of every community and represent a path to income mobility and economic advancement for many women and people of color. Our partnership with CalOSBA will provide essential training and resources to help these entrepreneurs understand the new business landscape and succeed in the digital marketplace.”
“Our Stockton Strong Marketplace launched this year and gave local women entrepreneurs, who faced challenges due to the impacts of COVID-19, the opportunity to grow their online sales,” said Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs. “We appreciate the state working to expand local e-commerce by empowering even more of our small businesses with the digital tools needed to stay competitive.”
“The Digital Bootcamp program will be a great way to build new sales channels that will generate much needed revenue to support these small businesses as they navigate through these uncertain times,” said Mike Daniel, Regional Director of the Orange County Inland Empire SBDC Network. “There are more than 60 SBDC’s that are situated throughout California and we are here to help small business owners through this program and any other business need they may have.”
During the Central California December festival, CalOSBA will provide technical support and festival playbooks for the initiative. The “Get Digital CA!” initiative also builds off CalOSBA’s work supporting the “Calling ALL Californians: #ShopSafeShopLocal” campaign launched in July and the 40+ free or discounted partner resources offered to support small businesses to get digital. For more information, and to connect to these important resources, visit business.ca.gov/getdigitalca.
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, www.business.ca.gov.
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.
About the Eva Longoria Foundation
In 2012, actress and activist Eva Longoria Bastón started the Foundation to help Latinas build better futures through education and entrepreneurship. By providing Latinas with the resources to succeed in school and business, the Foundation works to improve their lives, empower their communities and shape the national conversation about leveling the playing field for minority girls and women. To date, we’ve impacted more than 28,000 Latinas in the United States and Mexico through programs in STEM education, college scholarships, mentorship, parent engagement, microloans and business training. Visit our website or follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
About StocktonStrong & Goodstock Productions
In March 2020, the Office of Mayor Michael Tubbs launched StocktonStrong, a coalition of public and private sectors and civic leaders that have coordinated community-based COVID-19 response efforts in Stockton. StocktonStrong serves as a source for an all COVID-19 related information and resources for Stockon area residents. Goodstock Productions is a Northern California events company known for creating exceptional and purposeful experiences. Female founded, owned, and managed since 2015- Goodstock offers a range of services- from full-service event planning to a la carte assistance. Goodstock’s flagship event, Stockmarket, gave local, small businesses a new platform for engaging with customers and showcasing their talents in a lively atmosphere. In June 2020 StocktonStrong partnered with Goodstock Productions to launch the StocktonStrong Marketplace, an innovative e-commerce project that created a one-stop shopping website featuring 27 local women-owned small businesses that ran for three months. A second digital holiday marketplace will be launching in November. Visit our websites, StocktonStrong, Goodstock Productions, or follow Stockmarket on Instagram and Facebook.
About California SBDCs
The California Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Program is the leader in providing small business owners and entrepreneurs with the tools and guidance needed to become successful in today’s challenging economic climate. Direct and personalized technical assistance is provided to entrepreneurs through professional consulting, supplemented by low-cost or free seminars and conferences. These services are delivered throughout California via an extensive network of thirty-five Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs).
