Latino business mixer set June 19 in Newark
$tand By Me continues to expand its small-business services and will hold a dinner mixer for Hispanic entrepreneurs from 6:30 to 8: 30 p.m., Tuesday, June 19, at La Tonalteca in Newark. The event and program are free, but registration is required.
The event is the third since $tand By Me launched its Negocios program in early January, in partnership with the Delaware Hispanic Commission and the Delaware Department of Transportation. From January to April, the Negocios program helped 36 people reach milestones that included improving their credit scores, saving money and creating budgets.
“The work we do is very personalized because there is a not a one-size-fits-all solution,” said Mary Dupont, director of financial empowerment at the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services. “Our coaches always look for ways to meet the diverse needs of our multilingual and multicultural communities.”
The dinner mixers have proven to be very popular with Latino business owners, with more than 75 people attending each session.
Once enrolled in $tand By Me Negocios, Hispanic entrepreneurs work with a personal financial coach to establish and achieve their financial and business goals, and learn about services available in Delaware for small-business owners. The coach also helps business owners improve their personal finances to bolster their chances of qualifying for small-business loans. Negocios clients have already achieved significant milestones, with 27 clients creating budgets. There were 14 clients who improved their credit scores by an average of 92 points each. Also, 11 clients took steps to control debt and reduced it by an average of 10 percent. Another11 clients saved a total of $8,750, combined. Lastly, 18 clients took action on acquiring an asset.
To improve services and offer tailored workshops, $tand By Me Negocios works with organizations such as Finanta, First Community Loan Fund and the U.S. Small Business Development Administration.
“Working in collaboration has always been critical to the work done by $tand By Me, and Negocios continues with that tradition,” said Jerry Hunter, chief operations officer at United Way of Delaware.
$tand By Me, a financial empowerment program and project of the state of Delaware and United Way of Delaware, provides Delawareans with financial coaching, information and support to help them take charge of their finances in order to increase their personal financial security. The partnership has helped more than 100,000 Delawareans.
To learn more about $tand By Me Negocios or future networking events, go to www.standbymede.org/negocios.
