1. Customized Small Businesses Coaching: Design and implement high-touch capacity building in the form of small group workshops, peer-to-peer exchanges, and extensive 1:1 coaching for the cohort. o (1) Assess – conduct an external assessment (self-assessment facilitated by an expert) of each small businesses’ operational health), including financial management o (2) Develop – based on the assessment, design customized coaching to provide the business with best practice knowledge and processes for implementation. 2. Professional Services Support: Provide access to expert service professional consultations in the following key areas. The services below should be included in your proposed program design but are not limited to the following: o Legal i. Offering recommendations on proven best practices and general “how to” guidelines 1. Legal structure and paperwork: Articles of organization and operating agreements 2. Intellectual property protection: Copyright, trademark, patents o Financial Services i. Recommendations in determining necessary software packages for various business needs: 1. Payroll systems 2. Accounting and bookkeeping software solutions 3. Point of sale system 4. Billing and invoicing platforms ii. Tax season preparation best practices: Industry standards, digital tools, iii. Business plan writing tools: Templates and software, effective writing style and tone, proofreading and presentation skills iv. Business banking fundamentals: Business checking vs. Savings accounts, online banking, cash management o Marketing & Digital Strategy i. Recommendation in establishing best practices and determining the correct software for various businesses needs with: 1. E-commerce platforms: Setting up online stores, product listings, payment processing, and order fulfillment. 2. Online business profile optimization and reputation management 3. Website development and optimization: Website design, user experience (UX), search engine optimization (SEO), conversion rate optimization (CRO). 4. Mobile Marketing: Mobile website optimization, mobile app development, SMS marketing. 5. Customer Relationship Management (CRM): Managing customer data, sales pipelines, and customer interactions. 6. Digital literacy: Understanding the fundamentals of technology, its impact, and potential applications. 7. Language accessibility 8. Digital content creation and social media strategy guidelines 9. Public relations best practices: Media relations, media monitoring, and storytelling 10. Market-research methodology: quantitative vs. Qualitative research, market segmentation, and data analysis 11. Cyber security recommendations: Risk assessment, data protection, employee training, cyberattack response training, understanding industry regulations and standards. 12. Artificial Intelligence (AI) recommendations: AI strategy development, model selection and development, AI ethics and governance
