During these challenging times, Growbiz aims to bring you not only advice on growing your business but also resources and tips on surviving the economic fallout of COVID-19. We know that for many, survival is job one right now. Here is a new resource for Latino small businesses.
In an effort to uplift Latino-owned small businesses across the United States, Miami’s Armando Christian Perez, aka Pitbull, joined forces with the Global Entrepreneurship Network and Hello Alice to launch the Hispanic Small Business Center to help business owners through COVID-19.
In addition to offering resources such as mentorship and step-by-step guides, they are also actively fundraising and deploying $10,000 emergency grants to Latino entrepreneurs. Owners can apply here for emergency grants, and chosen applicants are awarded grants on a rolling basis as funds are raised.
Pitbull said in a report by WSVN: ““We can rebound quicker if we’re helping those that really help us sustain everything that we got going on right now in these historic times, A virus ends with us, but it will not end us. OK? It’s all about us coming together. … We’re here to help those who need it the most.”
Of the nearly 6,000 Latino business owners who have already applied for help at Hello Alice, 93% are asking for emergency cash assistance. 76% cite declining sales due to social distancing. Since the beginning of COVID-19, one-in-four American small businesses have already shuttered for good. Unfortunately, the Latin community’s companies are closing faster than that of any other demographic, according to Hello Alice.
“Time after time, Hispanic entrepreneurs have proven they can do more with less, but we need to step in and offer them the resources they’ve long deserved,” said Carolyn Rodz, co-founder of Hello Alice, a free multi-channel platform to help businesses launch and grow.
Alongside Pitbull, Global Entrepreneurship Network and Hello Alice, a consortium of organizations have come together under the umbrella of the COVID-19 Business Resource Center to provide specific resources, mentorship and guides for support through the Hispanic Small Business Center.
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