The City of Cypress has partnered with the OCIE SBDC Network to present a training and grant program designed to help small businesses throughout the city develop their online presence.
Elevate your business with the Level Up! Digital Marketing Program! Learn digital marketing strategies and enhance your online presence through four virtual training sessions and a one-on-one consultation with an SBDC consultant. Complete the program and receive a $2,000 grant for your digital advertising campaigns. Don’t miss this fantastic opportunity to boost your business!
Applicants must apply online via the application presented on this webpage and submit the business’s most recent monthly bank statement and current Cypress Business License. The application period runs from 8 a.m. on September 10, 2024, until 11:59 p.m. on September 24, 2024. SBDC will review the applications for completeness and eligibility. After eligibility approval, selected businesses must submit a completed W-9 Form and signed City of Cypress Business Grant Agreement by October 11, 2024.
Each selected participant from a business must attend four virtual training sessions, beginning on Tuesday, October 15, 2024, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Subsequent sessions will take place each following week on the same day and at the same time. Sessions are conducted in English only. The Level Up! Digital Marketing Program covers the following topics with a focus on digital marketing strategies:
Learn how to:
Learn how to:
Explore and evaluate:
Learn how to:
Each participant must also attend a one-on-one consultation with an assigned SBDC business consultant for customized assistance with their paid advertising platform. If a participant misses a mandatory training session, they must meet with their SBDC consultant for an additional one-on-one consultation. A participant that misses two more mandatory training sessions will not be eligible for a grant.
Upon completing the training and one-on-one SBDC consulting session, the participant will receive the $2,000 grant, which shall be used to develop a paid digital and online advertising campaign to boost the social media presence of participant’s business. Each participant must sign a verification that the funds will be spent on a paid advertising campaign.
Note: Please be advised that you will receive a Form 1099-NEC for the grant amount you receive from the City.
SBDC consultants will continue to work with Program participants after Program completion, if requested. The SBDC will track and measure each business’s success as they deploy their marketing campaigns. Approximately four months after finishing the Program, the City requests participants complete a provided survey to assess the impact of the Program.
City of Cypress, Community Development Department
Christopher Wong, Business Development Manager
5275 Orange Avenue
Cypress, CA 90630
(714) 229-6753
cwong@cypressca.org
Orange County Inland Empire SBDC
Manal Richa, Director
15375 Barranca Parkway, Suite A111
Irvine, CA 92618
(657) 256-3874 (office)
Manal.Richa@ociesbdc.org
Funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Funded in part through a grant with the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development.
Mike Daniel is the network director of the Orange County Inland Empire SBDC Network, which assists aspiring entrepreneurs and current business owners throughout Orange, San Bernardino and Riverside counties. Mike was formerly the director of the SBDC office at Long Beach City College. As business owner and entrepreneur himself, he started his career as the owner of a Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory location in Manhattan Beach and went on to open a second location in Long Beach in 2001. In 2007, Mike sold the Manhattan Beach store for an above-market offer then invested in several additional locations as a minority shareholder. Mike further expanded his candy empire with venture located in Shoreline Village in Long Beach called Sugar Daddies Sweet Shoppe, based on fill-it yourself candy options.
Mike has a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from California State University, Fullerton.
