San Diego County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher and the San Diego and Imperial Small Business Development Center Network are partnering to assist small business owners with reopening during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The business development center and Fletcher's office are working together to provide daily updates to businesses regarding government regulations, health guidelines and opportunities affording access to capital. The development center will also offer free one-on-one business consulting and training.
Fletcher and the development center unveiled a website -- www.SDIVSBDC.org/adaptSD -- to provide free live and on-demand webinars to help small businesses prepare for reopening. Business operators will be able to sign up on the site for training, access county resources, templates and counseling.
"The SBDC is a vital partner for small businesses in San Diego," Fletcher said. "This partnership will assist business owners in adapting to the new way of operating during the COVID-19 pandemic."
Training is scheduled on such topics as "Protecting Business Assets Online in our New Environment" and "Instagram Strategies After COVID-19." Industry-specific training, such as for in-home child care operations, is also available, with training in the retail sector, restaurants and small farming sectors to be released later.
New courses will continue to be added.
"Partnering with the county of San Diego and Supervisor Fletcher provides our SBDC team with the most current rules and regulations," said Marquise Jackson, regional director of the San Diego and Imperial Small Business Development Center Network. "This is critical to our work guiding small business owners as they move into the recovery phase of our COVID-19 environment."
The development center network, hosted by Southwestern Community College, includes eight service partners in San Diego County and one in Imperial County. It is funded by the U.S. Small Business Administration and the California Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development.
