鈥淭he pandemic I don鈥檛 think was on anybody鈥檚 bingo card,鈥� Palacios told 海角社区app during Small Business September. 鈥淲e did not know that this was going to happen.鈥�
Palacios created within Arlington Economic Development 20 years ago with the goal of providing local government resources to small businesses and startups. 鈥淚t really is a local municipality wanting to support its local small businesses so that they can thrive, survive, succeed, grow and build sustainably,鈥� she said.
We talked with Palacios about BizLaunch programs and asked how they help SMBs launch and succeed. During the discussion, she shared ways that BizLaunch has evolved over the past two years and where it鈥檚 going next to continue its mission to help local businesses grow.
BizLaunch Flex 1: Engage with small businesses and underserved communities any way possible
BizLaunch is no stranger to using digital and social tools to reach entrepreneurs and business owners in the community. It connects with people on all social channels, even TikTok, Palacios said. But it upped its game during the pandemic.
鈥淲e had to get extremely creative,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e were out putting up yard signs about our grants, about different marketing promotions and programs that we were having. And believe it or not, people were getting in their cars, they were seeing the yard signs, and calling and reaching out.鈥�
It reinforced the importance of being adaptable. Palacios pointed out that it鈥檚 unfortunate when a business shares that it wished it had heard about a program or a support service available.
鈥淭he way we were using social media prior to the pandemic has shifted, and how you use search engine optimization and how you get your content out there is so different,鈥� she said.
BizLaunch Flex 2: Ensure even the smallest businesses are digitally savvy
鈥淲e were worried about the businesses that were used to having a storefront and people coming to the storefront,鈥� she said. 鈥淲ith the stay-at-home orders, the whole way people buy products and services shifted.鈥�
At first, BizLaunch focused on establishing new programming, webinars and educational materials to help SMBs learn how to market themselves in this new environment. But it increasingly began also expanding technical assistance so the businesses could establish online storefronts and offer other ways to sell and deliver their goods and services.
Given that many small businesses are micro businesses with often just a handful of employees, the organization also partnered with Amazon Web Services to help businesses design websites and ecommerce tools to compete in the world鈥檚 new normal, Palacios said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 very come as you are. Don鈥檛 feel that you need to be an expert. We鈥檒l bring the experts to you, and we鈥檒l help you through the process,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been great. We鈥檝e had about 200 very diverse entrepreneurs go through the program, and they have gone viral. They鈥檝e had influencers come and visit them because now they鈥檙e discoverable. That鈥檚 been a lot of fun.鈥�
Plus, it鈥檚 not a one-and-done program. BizLaunch gives each business a marketing and branding guidance book and a technical tactics book. It also continues to connect with businesses after the initial design and development phase to provide support, Palacios said.
BizLaunch Flex 3: Help SMBs create financial resiliency to pivot and be ready for future challenges
A continual issue for startups and small businesses throughout the pandemic has been access to capital, Palacios said. It was why Arlington Economic Development immediately established grant programs. But access to funding has continued to be a chief challenge for SMBs, she said, and having a solid financial foundation is critical for resiliency and long-term success.
鈥淥n our horizon is looking at programming where we can educate people no matter what background, color, creed you are. We want to be able to help empower women-owned businesses, BIPOC 鈥� Black, indigenous and people of color communities 鈥� everyone to understand what you need to do to access capital and make that process very transparent and very understandable,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to be doing a lot of work in this upcoming year, whether it鈥檚 debt equity, or venture funds, or whatever it is that you鈥檙e looking to do.鈥�
To discover more insights for entrepreneurs, startups and SMBs shared during 海角社区app鈥檚 Small Business September, click here.
Listen to the full interview:
