“This event is about more than just celebration; it’s about action,” said Nicki Parr, WEV’s CEO. “Economic independence is not just a personal achievement—it’s a pathway to social change. When women build businesses, they change communities: generating revenue, creating jobs and contributing significantly to the local economy.”
Graduation ceremonies were held May 2 – 11 in Oxnard and Santa Paula to celebrate 90 small business owners who completed Women’s Economic Ventures (WEV’s) Emprendimiento Program for entrepreneurial Hispanic and Indigenous Ventura County community members. The 90 participants successfully completed WEV’s free, 8-week business training program taught in Spanish and are now each eligible to apply for a $7,500 microgrant award to grow their existing small business.
Women’s Economic Ventures (WEV) has moved to 4001 Mission Oaks Blvd., Suite K, in Camarillo – located in the Ventura County Community Foundation (VCCF) headquarters. Our new office location will be open for business starting April 17, 2023.
“Moving our Ventura County office from the city of Ventura to Camarillo makes our WEV location more centralized and accessible to all community members throughout the county,” shared WEV CEO Kathy Odell. Since 1991, WEV has provided business training and small business advisory services to more than 28,000 people throughout Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. WEV’s downtown Santa Barbara office continues to serve all of Santa Barbara County.
On January 26th, Women’s Economic Ventures (WEV) hosted an Award Ceremony at the Santa Barbara Library Faulkner Gallery and distributed $412,500 to entrepreneurial Hispanic and Indigenous Santa Barbara County community members. Fifty-five Emprendimiento Program participants successfully completed WEV’s free, 8-week business training program taught in Spanish and applied for grant funding. Each graduate received a $7,500 microgrant award to grow their existing small business. Emprendimiento Program information, including enrollment for the upcoming Ventura County cohort, visit www.wevonline.org/classes-resources/emprendimiento/ .
The Economic Development Collaborative(EDC) and Women’s Economic Ventures (WEV) are partnering to bring you a WEVWorks Webinar: Weathering the Economic Storm – helping small business owners feel prepared.
Free webinar, March 22 from 12pm – 1pm.
Register today: https://us02web.zoom.us/…/reg…/WN_yYPaDt8XRxO24RJVidqf5Q
Live translation to Spanish will be available!
SANTA PAULA — “Empoderamiento Financiero” de WEV, en persona, el 30 de septiembre, de 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM.
En esta clase gratuita de 3 horas el sábado, aprenderás a:
Tomar el control de tus finanzas personales: comprende tu “mentalidad de dinero” y crea nuevos hábitos financieros para aumentar tu confianza financiera y resiliencia
Establece metas financieras significativas: crea un presupuesto, paga deudas, administra tu dinero y logra tus metas financieras a largo plazo.
Conviértete en un(a) dueño(a) de negocio más efectivo(a) y financieramente seguro(a).
Women’s Economic Ventures (WEV) on June 29 hosted an Award Ceremony at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center to distribute $225,000 to entrepreneurial Hispanic and Indigenous Ventura County community members. Forty-five Emprendedores program participants, thirty-one women and 14 men, successfully completed WEV’s free, 6-week business training program and applied for grant funding; each received a $5,000 grant award for their small business needs. For more program information, including the upcoming Santa Barbara County cohort enrollment, visit www.wevonline.org/emprendimiento
WEV’s Emprendedores Program, offered in partnership with Mixteco Indigenous Community Organizing Project (MICOP) is funded by the state of California’s Employment Training Panel’s (ETP), Social Entrepreneurs for Economic Development (SEED) initiative and is aimed at empowering marginalized community members who face barriers to employment such as low English proficiency. The program includes group training sessions on topics such as business marketing and finance individualized coaching, and funding tied to a business plan to support individuals in launching or growing their own businesses in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.
Women’s Economic Ventures (WEV), in partnership with the Mixteco Indigena Community Organizing Project (MICOP), has been awarded a $500,000 Grant for the 2021 Social Entrepreneurs for Economic Development (SEED) Entrepreneurship Program from the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency and the Employment Training Panel (ETP). WEV and MICOP will use the SEED Initiative funding to support underrepresented and marginalized individuals who face significant barriers to employment by providing them with entrepreneurial training, technical assistance, and micro-grants to launch or grow their own businesses in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.
“We are thrilled to partner with MICOP to launch the SEED Program,” said WEV CEO Kathy Odell. “With MICOP’s expertise in supporting and empowering the indigenous migrant community in our region, and WEV’s history of providing small business training and small business loans to women and other local entrepreneurs, we have the combined expertise to provide our SEED participants with pathways for economic self-sufficiency.”
Women’s Economic Ventures (WEV) is proud to announce the 30 finalists for the 11th annual Spirit of Entrepreneurship Awards (SOE) to be held virtually on May 21, from 12noon -1:30pm. The SOE Awards celebrate outstanding women business owners from Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties in ten industry categories. Community members are invited to attend the free, online event; register at Spirit of Entrepreneurship Awards.
A panel of independent judges, who all live outside the tri-county area, selected the finalists from an impressive group of applicants throughout Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties. This year, the judges also took into consideration the impact the businesses make in their community and the entrepreneurs’ resiliency to the challenges presented by the global pandemic. Stacy Harris, a judge from Phoenix, Arizona, said the finalists are “an impressive class of driven female entrepreneurs adapting to an unpredictable environment during the pandemic in support of community and creative services and products.”
Café Conexito es nuestro grupo de empoderamiento /reunión virtual mensual en la que te invitamos a conectarte (con tu bebida matutina preferida) un Viernes al mes de 9:00 am a 10:00am.
Conocerás a un invitado especial cada sesión y disfrutaras de la oportunidad de compartir, escuchar y apoyarse mutuamente mientras alcanzas las metas de tu negocio. Esta sesión estará titulada: Metas Inteligentes para ti y tu negocio, y será facilitada por Irene Kelly, Administradora del Programa de Educación Financiera de WEV con nuestro invitado especial, Armando Sahagun, Asesor de Negocios de WEV.
Women’s Economic Ventures (WEV) annual Celebration of Small Business is launching a Virtual Shop Local Market to safely bring shoppers to local small businesses this holiday season. The marketplace will feature more than 50 local, women-owned and minority-owned small businesses who are part of the WEV community. The 26-day, dynamic online shopping portal will be open online from November 17 – December 13 and can be accessed by visiting WEV’s website at www.wevonline.org
Non-profit Women’s Economic Ventures (WEV) is participating in #GivingTuesdayNow on May 5, 2020 to raise critical funding needed for Quick Response loans and training to help local businesses adapt and recover in the midst of the pandemic. To date, WEV has provided nearly $400,000 in emergency funding while also advocating on a national level for additional funds to support local businesses. For information about donating, visit www.wevonline.org.
Non-profit Women’s Economic Ventures (WEV) announced its Quick Response Loan program on March 18 to provide emergency financial support and assistance to Santa Barbara and Ventura County businesses experiencing economic hardship as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. By April 17, WEV received 118 loan applications for $1,134,850 in funding requests. To date, 45 loans for $362,500 have been approved and 36 local small businesses have received $297,500 from WEV. WEV is working diligently with applicants to review and process the loan applications received in the last few weeks. New applications continue to flow in daily. WEV’s COVID-19 Quick Response Loans and business resources are available at www.wevonline.org.
Women’s Economic Ventures (WEV) ha lanzado una serie de seminarios de educación financiera en línea para empoderar a los dueños de pequeños negocios y aumentar su alfabetismo financiero durante el COVID-19. La serie se centra tanto en las finanzas personales como las de negocios y cada sesión ofrecerá herramientas y estrategias simples para ayudar a los participantes a manejar el impacto de la pandemia en sus finanzas. Los seminarios gratuitos en línea estarán disponibles en español e inglés. Para obtener más información y registrarse para los próximos seminarios:
Women’s Economic Ventures (WEV) annual Celebration of Small Business is launching a Virtual Shop Local Market to safely bring shoppers to local small businesses this holiday season. The marketplace will feature more than 50 local, women-owned and minority-owned small businesses who are part of the WEV community. The 26-day, dynamic online shopping portal will be open online from November 17 – December 13 and can be accessed by visiting WEV’s website at www.wevonline.org
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SANTA BARBARA — Women’s Economic Ventures (WEV) announced this week that its founder and CEO, Marsha Bailey, will retire next year after 30 years at the helm. Her successor will be Kathy Odell, an accomplished entrepreneur and business leader in…
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Children’s Resource Network of the Central Coast reported that it received more than 670 Christmas gifts. “We were able to give to every single child brought to us in need of Christmas presents,” organizers reported in a media release. “A big hug…
