Develop a business strategy for your small business
I may come from generations of small business owners, but I don’t recall any of my family excited to use that term. Having to make your own path was just the norm to get food on the table. It wasn’t a goal, but a necessity to keep going. They were livestock herders, butchers, farmers, jeepney drivers, soldiers, uniform tailors, and tradesmen. I was taught a traditional mindset of what a good job looked like. Where traveling to find work as a nurse or engineer were the ideal “sustainable”, safe, and profitable jobs.
However, you and I know that’s just not the kind of work that brings out the best in us. But I believe the key difference between us and the thriving business next door is entrepreneurial literacy. We need to learn the business strategies to build a thriving small business that helps our community and ourselves flourish. That’s where the Verizon Small Business Digital Ready program comes in hand.
Once you register, you can access free short modules, join local community events, access Verizon offers, and apply to the $10,000 small business grant.
No Verizon account required. No profit statement required.
By the way, even if you’re working towards maintaining your legacy as farmers, tailors, and tradies, you can still take part of this program and apply for the grant! Everyone deserves to have access to knowledge that will help them succeed in work and in life.
Mindset Check:
It’s up to you to select the courses that makes sense for your business in the Verizon Small Business Digital Ready program (though I think everyone should review the legal essentials learning path!).
The grant is only for U.S. based for-profit small businesses (including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands). Applications open until December 10th, 2025. Learn more.
You can only apply to the grant after you’ve completed 2 course modules (less than 30-35min each)
There’s a lot offered in the program so it may get overwhelming if you don’t have a specific learning goal in mind. You can learn about data privacy, leveraging AI in your workflow, funding opportunities, digital marketing, work-life balance, and how to make a sale. If you’d like a recommendation to break down the ways to optimize your time with this resource, you can keep reading! If you’re ready to get started, you can enroll for free now.
First, make sure you’re on the way to becoming a well-informed entrepreneur.
Having a brand identity, website, sales plan, and dedicated workspace are all essential parts of the entrepreneurial mindset, but there are other business literacy skills you need to learn beforehand. I highly recommend that you check out the legal essentials and funding learning paths no matter what type of business you’re running. It’s better to know the basics of managing your intellectual property and finances while you don’t have a lot on the line.
You can browse from the Learning tab or “Learning paths” link on the top navigation to get started.
On the left is an example of what the learning path page looks like. It’ll show you the order you should take the courses and sometimes if there are future events you can register for that’s related to the modules.
Initially, I just wanted to check out what steps were needed to unlock the grant application, but I ended up spending some time enjoying the mini-courses as well. They’re designed for different comfort levels in the topic so any entrepreneur can take advantage of the courses.
If you want to DIY your digital marketing and website design, you can do so with the guide and information provided in their online marketing introductions as well.
Whether you’re trying to establish your business online, grow revenue, or ensure you’re ready to expand, they have insights for you:
Tap into local community events and partner networks
Whether you’re just starting out or looking to get more personalized support, there are local meetups, a business directory, and hands-on support sprinkled across different learning paths. As of early November, there are only peer-to-peer networking chats but there are still seminar sessions available before mid-December.
Ready to level up your entrepreneurial skills?
Access free Resources to build a solid Small business foundation
Create your own entrepreneurial literacy adventure. Invest time understanding the basics of legal precautions, loans, business operations, marketing, and apply for a $10,000 small business grant.
The more I delved into an unknown world of a career in Tech, UX Design, and Digital Marketing, I began to see a more expansive view on what work could look like. Without realizing it, I gradually developed a passion for web designer and digital analyst freelancing so I could support community building and placemaking on a local level. Through my past experiences with global teams in large enterprises, small teams in civic organizations, and brave founders speaking up for others through their work, I’ve seen how digital communications strategies have been an essential process to gain reputable brand visibility.
If you’ve been trying to get by with AI-led business action and creative strategy prompts, I hope you can also spend some of that time seeking out resources from reputable organizations to help you grow in your business. By engaging with active communities in your area and industry online, you can make personalized relationship-driven business decisions that will help you evolve with your environment. If you’d like to find more business opportunities beyond the Verizon Digital Ready program, reach out to your local chamber of commerce, small business development agencies, attend tradeshows, or apply to other business grants.
