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/