The National Latina Business Women Association -Inland Empire (NLBWA-IE) in collaboration with the School of Public Policy at the University of California, Riverside (UCR) recently released the findings of, “Impacts of COVID-19 on Latina Businesses,” a regional study to help identify the gaps, challenges and most urgent needs of the Latina-Owned Businesses (LoB) during the pandemic. 

Similarly, the Microenterprise Collaborative of Inland Southern California (MECISC) engaged the Graphite Group to conduct a survey, “2021 Spring Survey,” to better understand the needs of business owners seeking help during the pandemic.

The data gathered from both the LoB Study and the Spring Survey, revealed that business owners primarily sought financial support but often lacked the proper financial statements and understanding of basic bookkeeping to secure grants, government loans or financing.

Another shared finding among the survey and study was the technological barriers that small businesses in the Inland Empire faced including access to and knowledge of internet resources.

The research also revealed the resilient spirit that often defines the Inland Empire.

To learn more about the gaps and challenges for LoB in the region as found by NLBWA-IE, interested persons may click HERE. For more details of the 2021 Spring Survey, please click HERE.