San Bernardino is a place where women don’t just survive but thrive. It offers women abundant business opportunities through training and education programs, financial assistance programs, and empowerment programs that encourage them o be independent and grow It is a city where women entrepreneurship is greatly encouraged.
Business Training and Education Programs
San Bernardino makes business training and education programs available to women who are willing to sharpen their business skills. These programs include:
- The Women Business Center
The WBC is a cooperative program between the Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship (IECE) and the US Small Business Administration (SBA). The WBC is dedicated to supporting small businesses owned by women in San Bernardino City. The program offers business mentoring, education and training, and business counseling services. The program also supports women with management, startups, and accessing initial capital for starting a business. WBC helps women in creating and running profitable businesses. The WBC runs two programs, that is, the Ignite program which helps fast-track women’s businesses and helps them achieve good results, and It’s Your Time program that focuses on developing entrepreneurship among women. Visit http://www.iewbc.org/ if you want to become a member of WBC.
- Entrepreneurial Training Series for Women
This is a program run by Inland Empire Women Business Center (IEWBC) in San Bernardino. IEWBC is a program of the Inland Centre for Entrepreneurship and it works in partnership with the US Small Business Administration. Entrepreneurial Series for Women offers business training and education to women in San Bernardino to support them in starting or running their businesses.
How The Program Works
- Complete your business plan, work with a business counselor, and attend workshops on topics such as financial projections, accounting, marketing, or business management.
- The program takes 3 months to be complete.
- Once you complete all the workshops and submit your business plan, you will be enrolled to compete in winning prize packages meant to help you get started with a successful business venture.
Women in the city including graduates have gained a lot from this program. Many have managed to open small businesses such as hair salons, bakeries, business coaching, and fitness studios. Those who still want to learn from the program can apply at the IEWBC website at www.iewbc.org.
Small Business Resource Center
Women who want to start or expand their businesses can get short term or long term financing assistance. Both governmental and non-governmental agencies in San Bernardino will be there to take you through the whole process of maybe developing a business plan, completing a business loan package. You can then visit the governor’s office at http://www.business.ca.gov/ if you need help.
Small business finance-loans and grants
San Bernardino encourages economic growth by supporting small businesswomen by offering financial assistance through loans and grants to help them expand their businesses. The programs are aimed at the creation of job opportunities among women in the City and strengthening women to enable them to thrive. The Inland Empire Small Business Development Center also helps women through the funding process by ensuring they get access to financial consultants who can assist them in loan packaging, expanding business, and introduce them to several local financial institutions. Visit https://inlandempiresbdc.org/services/funding/ to get helped with funding. These enable women to explore the best loan terms. The Inland Empire SBDC is a program within Empire Inland that assists women-owned small businesses to rise by offering a wide range of business services. Go to https://inlandempiresbdc.org/ for more information.
Emergency Housing for Single Mothers
In San Bernardino, there are homeless shelters where single mothers can get access to supportive services and help them reach their goals. Time for Change Foundation offers emergency shelter, permanent-supportive, and affordable housing for single mothers in need. The foundation offers two emergency homeless shelters in San Bernardino:
- Sweet Dreams – at sweet Dreams, single mothers learn the life skills that help them live healthy lifestyles. They attend parenting skills workshops and participate in activities that help build trust and promote independence. Sweet Dreams creates a suitable environment for nurturing a child.
- Mountain View – Mountain View emergency shelter provides single moms with the tools they need to regain strength and become active members of the community. They offer a wide range of services including mental health counseling, adult education, computer skills, and other healthcare services. Apply for an emergency homeless shelter at https://www.timeforchangefoundation.org/services/southern-california-intake-form.
Permanent Affordable Housing Project in Downtown San Bernardino
This is a project run by Time for Change Foundation. Their main goal is for women to transition into permanent housing in a suitable environment for nurturing enabling their children to thrive. The reality is that in San Bernardino, there are very few decent affordable housing available for single women struggling to care for their kids. This motivated the Time for Change Foundation to run the project in San Bernardino. Visit https://www.timeforchangefoundation.org/ for more information.
Conclusion
Although the city of San Bernardino has abundant business opportunities for women, some of the most essential services such as affordable housing is inadequate, especially for single women. In terms of resources such as grants for small businesses owned by women, the city has invested in that. Moreover, the city has managed to create a suitable business environment by allowing nonprofits to offer their services freely within.