Since April 2019, EforAll has offered skills training, support and access to professional networks to entrepreneurs and young businesses. This time around, it will be available in Spanish.
Entrepreneurship for All, or EforAll, a nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating economic and social impact through inclusive entrepreneurship, is launching Spanish-language programs in Longmont.
Since April 2019, EforAll has offered skills training, support and access to professional networks to entrepreneurs and young businesses through a free 12-month business accelerator program and an idea contest for opportunities to win cash prizes to help get a business started.
“It’s a compressed support program. In addition to the workshop, each entrepreneur gets matched with a team of three master mentors in the community. It’s a mix of an advisory board helping the entrepreneur work with with tactical things like building budget, what they should name the business, what customers they should target, etc., as well as the interpersonal and personal stuff, how to deal with imposter syndrome, being a parent and an entrepreneur, the soft skills,” said Harris Rollinger, executive director of EforAll Longmont.
Starting this fall, EforAll will be available to Spanish speakers.
“We recognize that there are some individuals who are monolingual Spanish speakers who need this program and shouldn’t be disqualified from participating,” Rollinger said. “I think that with equity as our north star, with providing services in Spanish we can make sure businesses are getting started in the community that are representative of the community.”
Yet language access is not enough. Rollinger said equitable access will require a team effort.
“We recognize that we have a lot of growing to do and it’s not going to happen overnight. We are in this for the long haul and recognize it’s going to take time. We are excited to work with our partners, like the Latino Chamber (of Boulder County), to do as much outreach as possible,” he said.
Berenice Garcia-Tellez, economic sustainability specialist at the city of Longmont and secretary for Latino Chamber board of directors, said EforAll provides a timely infrastructure to support the Latino Chamber’s work in Longmont.
"Many of the gaps we have identified are things that the Chamber cannot address by itself. If we can tap into the resources that EforAll offers, we can do more things. That is why this is such a good partnership,” she said.
More equitable access to resources for businesses means improved well-being for the overall community, Garcia-Tellez said.
“Once businesspeople or entrepreneurs learn the basics, I hope that businesses will start to expand, for their numbers to be reflected in the economic data that the city and county produce, to show how much they contribute to the (local economy),” she said.
According to the latest State of the Latino Entrepreneur report, “Latinos continue to outpace all others in terms of new U.S. business formation,” however, “there is an immense opportunity gap in the scaling and growth of these companies.” If addressed adequately, Latino businesses have the potential to more greatly contribute to the U.S. economy — $410 billion for the economy and 1 million jobs, according to the report.
Rollinger said, “We want to launch businesses that create jobs, whether that’s a food truck, a consulting business, tree removal, manufacturing, high tech, etc. We are trying to support diverse (business) founders and start businesses that create jobs in the community.”
Robert Gutierrez, EforAll participant and founder of iLOKY, has seen the benefits of the accelerator program.
“Prior to EforAll coming here to Longmont, we encountered a lot of difficulties as Latino entrepreneurs, more specifically around resources more driven for the English-speaking community. When EforAll came here last year, they strived to focus on inclusivity and create a program for entrepreneurs for anyone looking to create a startup,” he said.
He said he believes a program for Spanish-speakers will help open doors where few have historically existed.
“It wouldn’t be possible for us to be in the current position we are in without EforAll’s help. I can't imagine the possibilities that will open up for Spanish-speaking entrepreneurs who don't understand how business works in town. There are a lot of resources EforAll brings for us,” Gutierrez said.
The deadlines to submit ideas for the pitch contest are Sept. 21 for English speakers and Oct. 9 for the Spanish speakers. All business owners and entrepreneurs with young businesses or new business ideas are encouraged to apply.
The English- and Spanish-language accelerator programs are set to begin in January. Applications for both are due Nov. 9.
“This is a call to action for all businesses in Longmont, to send their applications in. This is a trustworthy program that we want you to take advantage of. It is a program tailored for you,” Garcia-Tellez said.
For more information on the pitch contest and the accelerator, click here. For additional support, call Garcia-Tellez at 303-774-3514.
