How Verizon Small Business Digital Ready is Offering Three of the Most Crucial Resources for Small Business Owners
As I was entering my senior year of high school, I was pretty clear on what I wanted to do. I was going to be an artist. Drawing, painting, or anything in creative arts was my love. However, my family was unfamiliar with the world of art and felt it was an unsafe career choice. With this in mind, I went off to college as a first-generation college student, conflicted about my career options and trying to figure life out.
During my senior year of college, I ended up with a random idea for a mobile app. I wasn't in school pursuing a degree in any technical field, but I found myself falling in love with technology. My grandmother would always tell us that we would know it once we genuinely found what we loved, whether that be a person or a career. So even though being the founder of a tech startup was never a career I thought of pursuing, after going through the process of my first app, I had found my love. However, as with any new small business owner, there were things I needed then and would need down the road to increase my chances of success. At the time, I needed a good mobile app developer and a good coach (or mentor) who could put me on the right path. But there was one main problem; I had no clue where to find a mentor.
I took some initiative on my own in hopes of finding a mentor. I asked around campus, but since my university had a deeper focus on science, finding professors who were mentoring an aspiring tech entrepreneur wasn't the easiest. I even started to ask outside of campus. However, finding a tech mentor in the state of Mississippi seemed impossible when I was first getting started in 2011. To be honest, I became discouraged and set into the mindset of just doing everything on my own.
One of today's significant changes is that we are deeper in the digital world than ever before. The pandemic accelerated this trend, and small business owners have needed to adapt. But doing so requires the right tools and resources. That’s why I am so excited to be partnering with Verizon to share Verizon Small Business Digital Ready - a platform that provides small businesses with the resources they need to thrive in today’s digital economy, with a focus on the three essential pillars of coaching, content, and community. In my early years as a small business owner, I didn’t have access to anything like this (especially not for free!) so I know firsthand how valuable this program is.
Content
The saying "what you don't know won't hurt you" is not true for small business owners. Having access and being in the know can be a true make or break it for your company. With Verizon Small Business Digital Ready, you are provided learning modules that cover an array of topics.
Coach (Mentor)
I always encourage aspiring or current entrepreneurs who do not have a coach to get one. So many small business owners mention not having a coach because they don't know where to find one. Well, now is your chance and you don't have to look any further. More importantly, Verizon Small Business Digital Ready is not one-size-fits-all coaching. This is vital because not every company is the same, and not every small business owner needs the same teachings.
It is important that mentors are more than just someone coaching you through the general aspect of business. Your coach is there to leverage their own learnings in order to provide mentorship and expertise on the specific challenges you face. Your coach is also there to assist in helping you create a plan of action.
Community
Being an entrepreneur will consist of many lonely days and nights, but being lonely doesn't always mean that you are sitting in a dark room by yourself. It can be lonely in the sense that no one else understands the vision that you have for your business. The loneliness is amplified if you do not have a community of other small business owners or "founder friends" who can help you through those tough times of feeling lonely and mentally taxing days when you are questioning yourself or your business.
Verizon Small Business Digital Ready provides you with a community that you can virtually connect with through the platform. Those within the community will understand the journey you are on to become a better business owner.
The Bottom Line
Verizon Small Business Digital Ready’s three pillars - content, coaching, and community - are essential for any small business owner. The ability to have access to these tools for FREE is a true gift.
Cheers to all small business owners who are already taking full advantage of the free and available resources offered by the Verizon Small Business Digital Ready program. I am cheering for each small business owner on their journey of completing their puzzle of success.
