Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced more resources to support small businesses as part of efforts to keep Los Angeles open for business. Two programs include LA Optimized 2.0, which helps small businesses build and strengthen their digital presence, and LApreneur, a new online learning platform created to provide entrepreneurs with critical skills and information to succeed.
“We continue to open Los Angeles for business by providing additional resources to help Angelenos compete online, as well as new learning opportunities to deepen their knowledge and hone their business skills,” Bass said. “These resources are part of our ongoing efforts to enable small businesses to start, grow and thrive in the city, and our recommendations are based directly on the needs we hear from our business community.”
LA Optimized 2.0 is the second installment of a program by the Department of Economic and Workforce Development that aims to bridge the digital divide and ensure small businesses receive assistance to adapt and compete in the digital marketplace. The program will help businesses improve or create websites and social media channels and provide branding support. Up to 500 businesses will receive assistance with website and social media creation, and up to 1,000 businesses will be eligible to receive a digital assessment and recommendations to optimize their digital presence. The program was made possible through funding from the American Rescue Plan Act and specific appropriations allocated by U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.).
LApreneur is a comprehensive, collaborative partnership established by the Mayor’s Office of Business and Economic Development, the City’s BusinessSource Center, Loyola Marymount University, and other partners to streamline entrepreneurial education and resources for aspiring entrepreneurs and existing business owners. The program was developed based on recommendations from the Mayor’s Small Business Cabinet, whose members shared concerns about the entrepreneurial knowledge gap facing communities of color and the need for the City to connect microbusinesses to existing resources.
The release of the new resources follows the fourth Los Angeles Regional Small Business Summit, an ongoing partnership between the City and County of Los Angeles, which drew more than 500 small business owners and entrepreneurs. For more information, visit ewddlacity.com/index.php/local-business/laoptimized and ewddlacity.com/index.php/lapreneur.
