SBA Celebrates Financial Capability & Literacy Month

Message from the Interim District Director J. Malcom Richards;

Greetings! We welcome Spring and the re-opening of our economies, saying goodbye to the pandemic– hopefully for good. April is Financial Capability and Literacy Month and the SBA South Florida District Office and our Resource Partners are offering multiple webinars to share business and financial concepts that can help you maximize your small business growth. Please check out our Calendar of Events and join us. As we have all learned from the pandemic, Financial Readiness is vital to the success and recovery of your business as well as your personal recovery and well-being. In these stressful times, having access to personal financial, insurance, medical and other records is crucial for minimizing the damage caused by disasters and for starting the recovery process quickly and efficiently. We want you to make the most of your pandemic recovery by being financially prepared for the unexpected. You can find Financial Preparedness Tips and Tools at Ready.gov. Finally, remember to file your personal tax returns or file for an extension by April 18th.

What is the Buzz Around Community Navigators?

As I travel the Southeast and meet with SBA’s Community Navigators and help celebrate their grand openings, I have learned a great deal, and I am pleased to share the significance of these organizations that are quite possibly located right in your backyard.
Community Navigators are a piece of the recovery process for small businesses- they are funded through the American Rescue Plan and are designed to assist small businesses- especially underserved businesses that have been left behind. President Biden signed the law supporting the Community Navigator program to ensure equity, overcome barriers in accessing capital, and to provide other resources to help entrepreneurs recover, grow, or start their businesses.
The Community Navigator program relies on community partners, who have existing relationships within their communities to serve as culturally knowledgeable experts to help bridge the gaps between business owners and SBA, federal, state, and local resources.
The Community Navigators are using a Hub/Spoke model. For example, a Hub I recently visited and met with is the Miami-Dade Business Navigator. I was fortunate to meet with the Hub as well as their 7 spokes Listed below:
Each of the 7 spokes play an integral role for the success of the Miami Dade Business Navigator representing many different communities. They will be able to assist in providing grassroots assistance to any entrepreneur, especially those in need of recovery- hit hard over the course of the last two years eager and ambitious for a path forward. The Hubs deploy community advocates (spokes) to work with small businesses. Services include financial assistance, support services in access to capital, contracting, procurement assistance, marketing, operations, business development, export/importing, and industry specific training, among other areas of technical assistance to aid businesses in stabilization and expansion.

The SBA designated 51 grantees (hubs) across the country. These grantees will support over 400 spoke organizations that will connect and engage with small businesses on the ground. The SBA’s goal is to build authentic bridges between small businesses and the community partners who are there to support them. Together with its Navigator grantees, the SBA will help bring back businesses, launch new opportunities, create jobs and build an equitable economy that works for everyone.
Eight Hubs supporting nearly 85 spokes are located across the Southeastern Region. For a complete list of Community Navigator Hubs and Spokes, please visit our website below . I encourage you to reach out to Community Navigators in your area and see how they may assist you and your business. This is a great program built on developing equity, working across all communities with true grassroots engagement. You may also learn more about your local Community Navigators by contacting your local SBA District Office.

Upcoming Events

Join SBA and Public Private Strategies Institute for a series of by-weekly webinars to learn more about programs and services to help you grow your business. Register for the next webinar scheduled on April 27, 2022.

2022 National Small Business Week – 4 day Virtual Summit – May 2 – 5th
Registration for the 2022 National Small Business Week Virtual Summit, “Building a Better America Through Entrepreneurship,” is now open. This year’s National Small Business Week Virtual Summit will feature access to federal resources, educational workshops, and networking to help small businesses pivot, grow, and seize new opportunities. The event is free, but registration is required.
Recently, SBA announced the 2022 Small Business Persons of the Year winners. The winners will be formally recognized on May 5, 2022 during the National Small Business Week Virtual Summit Awards Ceremony.

South Florida Events Calendar
Make sure to look at our calendar for full upcoming workshops. Our resource partners are conducting workshops and events all month long.

If you live in South Florida, you can email us at [email protected]
If your located outside of our South Florida, you can find your local office by accessing this link: https://www.sba.gov/about-sba/sba-locations/sba-district-offices

Check out our Website!

SBA South Florida District Office
Miami, Tampa, and Ft. Pierce, Florida
305-536-5521
http://www.SBA.gov/SouthFlorida

All SBA programs and services are provided on a nondiscriminatory basis. Reasonable accommodations will be made if requested at least two weeks in advance
Small Business Administration (SBA) · 409 3rd St, SW · Washington DC 20416 · 1-800-827-5722