Learning to survive and thrive: Cathedral City hosts educational workshop for small businesses
Learning how to sustain a small business can be a difficult task. According to the Chamber of Commerce, 18% of small businesses fail within their first year, while 50% of them fail after five years nationally.
The Greater Coachella Valley Chamber of Commerce also says that local businesses encounter the most risk in their first three years of operating as they gain the trust of consumers.
An educational workshop for small business owners aimed to provide resources to small business owners in Cathedral City on Tuesday. Several government agencies and local organizations were in attendance to give presentations to small business owners and representatives, including the following:
- U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)
- California Office of the Small Business Advocate (CalOSBA)
- Coachella Valley Small Business Development Center (SBDC)
- The Caravanserai Project
- Coachella Valley Women's Business Center
- Accessity
- AMPAC Business Capital
- Sun Community Federal Credit Union
- Greater Coachella Valley Chamber of Commerce
Presenters spoke to attendees about securing capital, networking opportunities, and mentorships. They also spoke about how businesses can overcome the challenges of owning and operating a small operation.
“I think every business faces challenges, right? And every sector has to have appropriate attention. And that's what this is important — and that's why this is so important, is to allow them to know what they can access and who's out there to help them,” says Erick Becerril, Cathedral City's Economic Development Manager.
He continues, "They're not in this alone. And we in the city here understand the importance of networking and being part of a much larger business network. And that's what we're here to do ... This [workshop] is one of the first of many, and we're going to continue doing this."
Organizers say they will post presentations from the workshop online at Cathedral City's Economic Development page.
They also encourage small businesses to reach out to them directly if you would like support for your business. That information is accessible at the same site.
