The Small Business Administration is reaching out to young, Spanish-speaking entrepreneurs with what it’s calling a new tool to determine whether they’re ready for business ownership, and to help get them started.
The free, self-paced online course will be offered in Spanish, giving an overview of basic business principles, and introduce resources available from the U.S. Small Business Administration, according to a release.
“As a proud Hispanic American, I believe that providing financial, educational and technical assistance to Hispanic entrepreneurs is a major means to create jobs and stimulate the economy,” said Maria Contreras-Sweet, an SBA administrator, in a release. “The new course is an essential business development tool for young entrepreneurs that can be central to the future success for many generations to come.”
The young entrepreneurs course is designed to help with the essential of starting a small business, including evaluating business ideas, choosing the best financing options and registering a business. The course also includes useful resources that will help with each step along the path to entrepreneurial success.
Hispanics are starting and growing new businesses at nearly twice the rate of the general population, according to Francisco “Pancho” Marrero, the SBA’s South Florida district director. Last year, the SBA lent nearly 3,400 loans, totaling more than $850 million to Hispanic-owned businesses.
The course is accessible from the SBA’s Learning Center, under the banner “Starting a Business.” It’s available at Go.USA.gov/mnFT. It’s also available in English.
SBA has placed more than $3.3 billion in loans to Hispanic business owners between 2009 and 2013, according to a release. This year, SBA’s lending pace already has exceed last year’s volume, attaining a level of more than $857 million.
