AUSTIN, Texas — The Governor's Office of Small Business Assistance is hosting their first Spanish-language webinar on Wednesday, June 30.
The webinar will be offered completely in Spanish and will cater to aspiring entrepreneurs looking to start a business in the Lone Star State.
"A lot of business owners didn't know about some of the help that's out there for them," Christopher Gonzales, executive director at McLennan Community Investment Fund, said.
Gonzales, who works closely with business owners through the non-profit and partners with the CenTex Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, said Hispanic business owners, especially those who mostly speak Spanish, often face limited resources.
"There's a gap that needs to be filled communication wise, and so little details on an application may be missed," Gonzales said.
Now that the state will host a webinar completely in Spanish, people like Sarahy Galvan-Franco, a small business owner, said many people will get the help they need.
"Now my brother doesn't have to rely on his kids to be able to translate correctly or even my dad instead of wondering like 'Well was that what they really said?' Like let me Google a question," Galvan-Franco said.
Galvan-Franco is a makeup artist in Waco and comes from a family of entrepreneurs. She said at times they don’t know where to look for resources.
"We just kind of say 'We got this' and 'We can do it' and we do, but without those resources, unfortunately," Galvan-Franco said.
Galvan-Franco has seen firsthand how her family and many other Hispanic families and business owners occasionally struggle due to the language barrier. She said she believes the webinar in Spanish is a step in the right direction.
"I think they should've done this a long time ago to be honest, and now that they are doing it I hope they continue to do it," Galvan-Franco said.
To register for the webinar in Spanish, click here.
To watch a previously recorded English version, click here.