INLAND EMPIRE – The Orange County Inland Empire Small Business Development Center is hosting a free six week retail startup webinar series “Brick by Brick” which closes registrations August 9th. The series is an approved California Dream Fund training program that provides grants up to $10,000 for qualifying businesses that started in California on or after July 1, 2019.

The Brick-by-Brick Retail Start-up program is for entrepreneurs looking to open a brick and mortar business. According to the website “the program will cover key concepts such as lease negotiations, projections, creating a unique customer experience, building a digital presence, utilizing paid and non-paid advertising, hiring employees and creating key performance indicators (KPIs) to drive the business” over the six-week online course.

The Orange County Inland Empire Brick-by-Brick program is only available to businesses registered in Orange County and the Inland Empire. As a California Dream Fund approved program, businesses that complete the it will be eligible to receive a grant of up to $10,000. They also must:

• Have started on or after July 1, 2019
• Have no more than 5 full-time-employees
• Have no more than $1M in revenue

Additional requirements to obtain the grant are:

• Attend one-on-one consultation with Orange County Inland Empire SBDC business consultant
• Attend one hour grant informational session
• Upload all business formation documents to Data Room
• Complete grant application

The webinar starts August 10 – 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and will be recorded however participants are required to attend live in order to qualify for the grant.

Two other California Dream Fund programs also still have space available – SBDC Eats: Cottage Food Operation (CFO) and Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operation (MHKO) Startup Series and the SBDC Start. The CFO and MHKO series focuses on starting a food business and SBDC Start is for entrepreneurs that are unsure where to begin.

To register for Brick-by-Brick Retail Start-up visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/brick-by-brick-retail-startup-program-tickets-385891280207

For more information on the other California Dream Fund programs visit https://ociesmallbusiness.org/dream/