We´re doing our part to ensure our small businesses stay resilient during this crisis. Check out the programs we have implemented to support the commercial corridor.

Our Initial Response

When the epidemic broke out, we focused on assessing the capacity of our constituents to withstand business closure for several months. The advent of the COVID-19 pandemic became an imminent threat to the sustainability of small businesses. It was important for us to maintain the trust of small/micro-businesses in order to help them access the support they most urgently need. We compiled a list of resources for small/micro-businesses and are in constant communication with businesses along the corridor to understand their needs and the challenges they are facing, to provide information on these resources, and to assist them with applications. To adjust to the crisis, we adopted the following work procedures with our clients:

 

• Assessment of small/micro-business needs through periodic phone calls.

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• Collection of pertinent data from small/micro-business to advocate on their behalf.

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• Collaboration with partnering organizations to advocate for policies and products needed by small/micro-business community.

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• Collection and coordination of resources to assist small/micro-business.

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• Provide information, referrals, access and assistance in obtaining available resources.

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• Respond to small/micro-businesses’ small-scale financial needs as resources become available. 

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Small Business Resilience Cohort & Fund

The goal of this initiative is to help micro-businesses rebound and fully participate in a post-Covid-19 economy, as well as, become a resource to stabilize the small business commercial corridor. Through the generous support of Hispanics In Philanthropy, The Allapattah Collaborative has been able to provide rapid relief operational gap funding to small businesses in the commercial corridor. The Small Business Resilience Cohort provided one-on-one coaching, online training, digital inclusion activities and access to professionals that provided culturally relevant support to helping business owners rethink their business model for a post-Covid-19 economy. This coaching program offers business owners free professional services to ensure business continuity by providing access to resources when they need it most. These services include:

 

• Business coach and online training to rethink business model for sustainability.

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• Digital Business Coach to perform digital assessments and analyze the current digital reach of the business.

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• Certified Public Accountant to provide financial assessments and identify financial business continuity threats.

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• Marketing resources to get more customers, including online tools.

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• Accounting to help you apply for funding.

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• Coaching to help you plan and achieve your business and personal goals.

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• Legal assistance to negotiate and improve your contracts.

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• Collaboration with other businesses to succeed together.

The program is highly engaging, and it require the utmost diligence from small business owners. On the other hand, the businesses that commit to the demand of the program can rely on a team of professionals to coach, train, and guide their business to success in order to maintain a vibrant business corridor.

  

Stay Healthy Allapattah

Our commercial corridor was harshly hit by the Coronavirus pandemic. The small businesses were hit again when our community became the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, further diminishing the commercial activity in the area. The Allapattah Collaborative CDC partnered with The Health Foundation of South Florida and Florida International University to ensure our small businesses can rebound through the Allapattah Stay Healthy Initiative. This program works with small business owners to ensure individuals and surfaces in each establishment are tested with the goal to officially claim the business is “Covid Clean”. The program includes the following elements:

 

• Train small businesses and their employees on Covid-19 information to share with patrons.

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• Encourage employees to get tested for Covid-19.

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• Work with the FIU CyberMUM program to test surfaces for Covid-19.

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• Outfit small businesses with informational signage to encourage social distancing and NanoSeptic® Touch Technology, a self-cleaning technology to stop the spread of the virus. NanoSeptic® material turns high traffic touchpoints (like door handles and counter-tops) into continuously self-cleaning surfaces.

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• Provide safety kits to small businesses to hand out to clients. Safety kits are to include face masks, face shields, sanitizer, testing site information and an informational pamphlet.

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• Create a phonebank to encourage individuals to get tested.

Resources:

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