New business resource center opens for female entrepreneurs in SLO County
The Atascadero Chamber of Commerce has partnered with the Mission Community Services Corporation (MCSC) to launch the first Women’s Business Center in North County.
The Women’s Business Center will offer technical assistance and training resources for entrepreneurs — at no cost to participants, according to a news release from the Atascadero Chamber of Commerce.
While the program is designed to help women in business, it is open to all potential participants. The program aims to help underserved, low-to-moderate-income women as well as women who identify as part of minority groups, the release said.
“We’re proud to be one of the only organizations to offer a mentorship program,” said Romi Ramirez, the Women’s Business Center Marketing Strategist and Business Consultant.
“We try to connect on a different level, no matter what stage of business development a person is in,” Ramirez said in the release. “We receive grants that help women and other minorities. Many veterans are assisted as well. We’ve also been able to expand the Spanish language program.”
Ramirez will offer free 30-minute consultations to entrepreneurs at the Atascadero Chamber of Commerce at 6907 El Camino Real, Suite A from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursdays.
Charlene Rosales, Program Manager for the MCSC Women’s Business Center, said the bilingual marketing team likes to target rural areas such as San Miguel with old-fashioned “boots on the ground” outreach by distributing promotional fliers and brochures in public spaces.
Other ways the women’s business center helps underserved populations is by offering free entrepreneurial training services in both Spanish and English and by collaborating with groups such as the Hispanic Business Association in Paso Robles, Rosales said in an email to The Tribune.
Rosales said the MCSC team also has two bilingual program coordinators who connects clients with services and consultants.
“Having a presence in North County allows us to work with more underserved clients who may not have access to technology and prefer an in-person consultation,” she said.
The Mission Community Services Corporation is a nonprofit public benefit corporation based in San Luis Obispo and offers free, educational workshops, business training courses and professional business consultations. Many of these services come free of charge, according to the MCSC website.
Interested participants can reserve a 30-minute session with Ramirez by calling 805-769-5250 or emailing getromi2@gmail.com.
