Program Page - LSBP

Latino Small Business Program Overview

The Latino Small Business Program provides business development guidance to immigrant entrepreneurs interested in creating their own businesses in Nebraska. As the statewide Latino engagement coordinator for Rural Prosperity Nebraska, Sandra Barrera, herself an immigrant from Colombia, offers education, expert advice, and connections to help entrepreneurs with every step of business development, all for free and in Spanish.

Barrera equips entrepreneurs and business owners with knowledge to successfully take each step of the business-creation process:

• Accounting
• Budget projections
• Business proposals
• Legal work
• Licenses
• Location scouting
• Marketing plans
• Ribbon cutting
• Startup process: LLC registration, EIN, sales tax permits
• State regulations
• Tax information

Education

We offer academy programs that develop skills in specific industries, training programs, and workshops all designed to meet the specific needs of our entrepreneurial community.

Business Counseling

We provide one-on-one technical counseling for entrepreneurs and small business owners. We can help with business plan development, marketing plans, finding financing, and legal compliance.

Networking Opportunities

• Business tours
• Connections with local resources
• Mentoring programs
• Monthly coffee table discussions
• Referrals

Workshops

As part of the program, Barrera also runs community workshops that ask business owners to reflect on how they make business decisions, why customers choose to patronize their business, and how to identify their key customers. Led by Spanish-speaking entrepreneurial experts, the workshops equip communities with the tools to build thriving businesses, including:

• Accounting Basics
• Budgeting for Small Businesses
• Cash Flow—Why and How
• Contracting and HR
• Credit Reports, Banking and Emergency Funds for Entrepreneurs
• Customer Service: Start with a Smile
• Do’s and Don’ts for Small Businesses
• Facebook for Small Businesses
• File Organization for Small Businesses
• Food Safety
• How to Make Your Business More Inclusive
• Simple Steps to Sustainability
• Step-by-step Startup
• Time Management for Entrepreneurs
• What is Marketing?
• Why Entrepreneurship?
• And More . . .

Conference

The capstone of the program is the annual Latino Small Business Conference, held four times per year in different regions of the state. The conference is open to entrepreneurs and current business owners, and sessions are conducted in Spanish. Presentations focus on educating and connecting participants with experts, professionals, suppliers and vendors from various career fields, as well as training Latino entrepreneurs on business creation and small business development.

Contact us to bring the Latino Small Business Program to your community.