Many entrepreneurs in Philadelphia and beyond face uncertainty due to high inflation, a looming recession, and standard procedures that can be intimidating to aspiring business owners.
Ask V’Ester “Boomer” Okay.
North Philadelphia native and owner of Boomer’s Kitchen and Catering is one of several local entrepreneurs who face these obstacles directly, with no business education background and limited financial resources for valuable training and mentoring.
Good said, “At first, I had no intention of starting this business. “In 2016, my son entered college.
I was a single mother and was looking for a way to help him finish school by selling food plates.”
Goode says he eventually launched a food truck business, Boomer’s Kitchen and Catering, during Roots Picnic in June 2019 to support his son and his out-of-state studies at the University of Delaware.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 took a toll on Good’s business model and brought about dramatic changes.
Fortunately, Good stumbled upon Verizon’s Small Business Digital Ready program. At the time, this program was introduced to help entrepreneurs who faced sudden uncertainty when running a small business.
“This program was great. It happened at the perfect time,” says Goode.
The Verizon Small Business Digital Ready Program was awarded a $10,000 grant in partnership with the non-profit Local Innovation Support Corporation (LISC).
“It was the only thing I was provided with during the entire pandemic and I was a new business owner who didn’t know what the field needed,” said Goode.
“I was like, ‘Why not? It’s free. I talked to a few people and they liked my story and that’s it,” said Good.
Cathy Davis, social innovation manager at Verizon, says the Digital Ready program offers 38 free courses in focus areas related to financial readiness, digital marketing and online presence, SEO/social media and operational effectiveness.
Davis also said the program is offering free one-on-one coaching sessions in the 2023 current economic environment.
“On-demand courses are the backbone of the platform. You can take it whenever you want.
You can pause in the middle and take it at a convenient time,” said Davis. “We get a lot of questions like ‘Where’s the catch?’ When are you going to ask us for money?” It’s always free and you don’t have to be a Verizon customer.”
Good has been able to become a business owner thanks to the free Digital Ready program.
As a result of this program, Boomer’s Kitchen and Catering will reach peak income levels in 2022. Goode and her team also have corporate contracts with PECO and the Philadelphia School District.
Goode and her team have refocused their business model to serve events and holidays only in the aftermath of the pandemic.
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Originally published at https://businessdor.com on February 12, 2023.
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