Two Maine business owners who created a digital business presence through the NVME tuition-free Empower by GoDaddy course are case studies in a recent report issued by the Association for Enterprise Opportunity (AEO), in partnership with Empower by GoDaddy. The two business owners are Janet Grieco of Great Northwoods Teas and Herbs and Laura Hale of Neighborhood Books. The report is titled, Leveraging Digital: Resources and Training for Small Business Growth and Community Benefit.

According to the report, “In 2020, the coronavirus pandemic made the need for training on digital tools and capabilities for small businesses all the more urgent as shoppers turned to e-commerce, digital marketing gained more prominence, and more everyday business tasks had to be done remotely. The Empower program was positioned to help small businesses embrace this sudden change instead of suffering from it.”

The report also states, “The need for digital skills—from basic computer literacy to digital marketing strategies and execution—is not only newly urgent for small business owners in the COVID-altered world of remote interaction, but will continue to grow in importance as work and commerce evolve in coming years.”

NVME is currently offering tuition-free, self-paced website development courses through the Empower by GoDaddy program. For more information, visit the full course page for Grow Your Business Online or our full schedule of classes and workshops for related individual workshops.

Empower by GoDaddy is GoDaddy’s global community and philanthropic program equipping entrepreneurs in underserved communities with training, tools and peer networks to accelerate their journeys. To learn more about AEO and Empower by GoDaddy and their work to support thriving microbusiness ecosystems, read the report.