In an effort to assist entrepreneurs in launching a business and support businesses that are continuing to struggle with the negative economic impacts of the pandemic, the Riverside County Office of Economic Development and the Orange County Inland Empire Small Business Development (OCIE SBDC) are partnering to provide technical and financial assistance to county constituents and businesses.
The RivCo Small Business Thrive Program (Thrive Program) is an American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Economic Recovery program providing grants of $1,500, $2,500 and $5,000 to assist county entrepreneurs launch a small business and business owners expand their existing operations. The grant is available to qualifying individuals and businesses that meet all eligibility criteria and complete a small business training program have one-on-one consulting provided by the Orange County Inland Empire Small Business Development Center (OCIE SBDC) and attend a Financial Literacy webinar provided by AmPac Business Capital.
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The OCIE SBDC only be providing the required training programs and consulting support to businesses as they proceed through the application process but will not be making grant award decisions.
The OCIE SBDC will develop and manage the online portal for application submission. The online portal will support submission electronically in English, but a sample application will be developed in Spanish for viewing purposes only. A complete application will include the following:
During the application process, all applicants will have the ability to access a SBDC consultant to assist them with their application. Once a Thrive Program participant completes training and has received one-on-one consultation, they will be referred to County’s Fiscal Agent for final requirements and grant award.
All application responses will be securely stored by the OCIE SBDC in an electronic repository for all program documents, and available for Office of Economic Development staff to view at any time. Documentation is intended to meet Grant Program requirements and validate applicant’s responses to mitigate risk and fraud, and verify adverse impacts caused directly by the pandemic. The OCIE SBDC will also verify business location and supervisorial district via Esri Web Map produced by County Office of Economic Development’s Center for Demographics.
The OCIE SBDC is here to prepare you for successfully launching your business. Our suite of programs offer you the ability to choose an industry-specific program or general business program based on the type of business you are trying to start or grow. SBDC programs include topics on business planning, finance, marketing, sales, human resources, licenses and permits, and more. In less than 12-weeks, we will take you from an idea to an actual sale at one of our proof of concept platforms such as our e-commerce platform californiashopsmall.com, selling in a local marketplace, or taking your packaged goods to retail. All programs are between 8-12 sessions in length and are led by our SBDC consultants and experts and are offered at no cost for Riverside County new and existing businesses.
Aimed at assisting start-up product-based businesses enter the marketplace.
COMING SOON
Designed to help product-based aspiring or existing business owners sell online.
Learn about going through the process of bringing your packaged goods to the marketplace.
COMING SOON
Startup series designed to teach you how to successfully start your own small business.
COMING SOON
Developed to assist small business owners in identifying when they are ready to expand.
COMING SOON
Expand your knowledge with hands-on instruction to increase your digital marketing presence.
COMING SOON
Identify when you are ready to expand and drive your business to the next level.
COMING SOON
More information regarding this program coming soon
STAY TUNED
Focused on assisting military veterans to prepare to successfully launch their first business.
COMING SOON
Un programa diseñado para ayudarle incrementar la presencia de su negocio en línea y ganar clientes.
COMING SOON
Note: Not all programs listed on the More Programs page qualify for the Thrive Program.
Don’t qualify for the grant? The OCIE SBDC can still help your business. Schedule a 1-on-1 consulting session with one of our business consultants or take a look at our calendar of workshops and trainings covering a wide array of business topics.
Funded in part through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. Funding is not an endorsement of any product, opinion, or service. All programs are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis.
Funded in part through a Grant with the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development. All opinions, conclusions, and/or recommendations expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development.
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