Coachella Valley nonprofit helps support the next generation of Latino entrepreneurs

About 100 Latino entrepreneurs, many from the Coachella Valley, have gotten training to help them start or expand their businesses, thanks to a new program funded by a $2 million state grant.

The SEED 2.0 program, which stands for Social Entrepreneurs for Economic Development, has helped about 100 Latino entrepreneurs in Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

Several groups are partnering to run SEED 2.0 across the Inland Empire, and in the valley *the program is being promoted by Get in Motion Entrepreneurs, a Palm Desert-based nonprofit. The SEED 2.0 Program is managed and led by the Caravanserai Project, a nonprofit organization in Palm Springs that is responsible for the design, implementation, distribution of funds and fiscal responsibility of this initiative. It plans to continue with the program until the spring of 2024, when the groups expect to have provided support to around 200 people across the region.

One of them is Sergio Mojica, an aspiring business owner who's lived in the Coachella Valley for 34 years and was in a group that received SEED 2.0 training in March. Mojica recently started working part time on his own carpet and floor cleaning business, Carpet Cleaning of the Desert based in Indio.

"The most important part, I think, was learning how to present my service. How to sell my service," Mojica said in Spanish.

"My slogan is "Because Cleanliness is Health, la limpeiza es salud," Mojica said. "When one explains to people the benefits of their services it's much easier to establish trust."

Get in Motion Entrepreneurs, founded in 2011 by Armando Ehrenzweig, provides business development resources to entrepreneurs in the greater Coachella Valley and throughout Riverside County. They were subcontracted to promote this program in the Coachella Valley and said its goal is to "create a new generation of Latino business leaders that generates sustainable families through entrepreneurship."

About SEED 2.0

SEED 2.0 is a free month-long online training program taught in Spanish. Anyone who has an existing business or wants to open one is eligible to apply, regardless of their immigration status. The program focuses on small Latino-owned California businesses and gives preference to those in the Coachella Valley and the Inland Empire, though people from outside the area can apply.

"The program itself is actually focused on immigrants who feel they have no resources for them," Ehrenzweig said.

After taking the training, people are eligible to apply for up to $7,500 in scholarship funds for their small business, which they don’t have to pay back.

Since the beginning of the program, people have been encouraged to apply at any time to be considered for upcoming sessions.

Applications for the SEED 2.0 program have just closed, Ehrenzweig said. A waitlist is available for other future opportunities for entrepreneurs by going to GetInMotion.org/lista-de-espera.

Origins in partnership

To start SEED 2.0, the Palm Springs-based nonprofit Caravanserai Project and the Making Hope Happen Foundation/Uplift San Bernardino partnered to get $2 million in grant funding from the state of California’s Employment Training Panel.

The groups listed SEED 2.0’s aim as to "...support the entrepreneurship of immigrants and limited English proficient (LEP) individuals who face significant employment barriers."

After getting the funding, the groups reached out to Get In Motion Entrepreneurs given its presence in the Coachella Valley.

"We support the program by promoting it in our communities," Ehrenzweig said. "We just want to reach as many people as we can and with the funds that we've got."

Ehrenzweig first connected with the Caravanserai Project after graduating from a eight-month specialized learning program it sponsored that’s meant to help turn visionary ideas into powerful tools that leave an impact.

Starting from the basics

SEED 2.0 classes are held through Zoom twice a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6 to 7:30 p.m., over the course of four weeks

Ehrenzweig said the training covers "the basics of entrepreneurship, financing, clients, selecting your niche for the market, teamwork, marketing and sales. We talk about the competition, about your business plan. About also how to scale the future... All of this is on the basic level. All the essentials."

During each round of training, the Caravanserai Project seek businesses in similar industries. The last round focused on health, wellness and sustainability. The next will focus on technology, sciences, and innovation, and previous rounds were tailored towards arts/culture and hospitality, among others.

Looking ahead

SEED 2.0 is set to end in early 2024, but Get in Motion Entrepreneurs is looking ahead by searching for ways to continue its commitment to helping Latino business owners in the Coachella Valley.

"There were more people on the list than the ones that we were able to serve,” Ehrenzweig said. “So every year for any nonprofit, the challenge is the same: funding. So as soon as we get more funding, then we will be able to keep the capacity to keep serving. You never know how soon we are going to get the next grant or collaboration, but we're constantly working on that."

He added: "The need is always there. Latinos in the Coachella Valley and anywhere in the U.S., they need support."

*Correction: A previous version of this story made it seem like the SEED 2.0 Program was run by Get in Motion, but it's actually managed and led by the Caravanserai Project, a nonprofit organization in Palm Springs. The above story has been changed to reflect this edit.

Coverage of nonprofits in the Coachella Valley for The Desert Sun is supported by a grant from the CIELO Fund through the Inland Empire Community Foundation.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: How a Coachella Valley nonprofit supports Latino entrepreneurs