SE Connecticut News

The digital tool provides women-owned small businesses  resources to drive growth through business partnerships, building and  refining leadership skills

Today, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced the launch of two new educational modules. Ascent is  a digital platform comprised of targeted education modules, called  Journeys, that gives small business owners 24/7 access to critical  information backed by research and addresses the unique needs of women  entrepreneurs.

• Partnerships Journey: This module explores the value of business  partnerships, why they matter, and how they drive business growth and  has four components, including the value of business partnerships,  opportunities, and strategic growth.
• Entrepreneurial Leadership Journey: This new module helps position  small businesses for growth by building and refining leadership skills  and has 11 components designed to build confidence and improve decision  management and leadership style techniques.

“With the strong vision and action of Administrator Guzman, we  continue advancing our entrepreneurial education experience through  technology forward and timely online learning systems such as  Ascent,” stated SBA Associate Administrator of the Office for Entrepreneurial Development Mark Madrid. “We look forward to announcing more educational initiatives to position our diverse small business ecosystems to thrive.”

In 2021, the SBA’s Ascent platform launched and has assisted nearly  50,000 businesses, young entrepreneurs in writing business plans,  business legal education, access to capital, and moving into the  contracting space. Business recovery is also a valuable tool in the  learning platform, which continues to support those impacted by the  pandemic. This is part of the overarching support to women-owned  businesses, including free business counseling to over 800,000 small  business owners, billions of dollars in COVID economic relief, capital  infusion, and government contracting last year.

“We know that women entrepreneurs start and own nearly half of all  businesses in the United States and generate $1.8 trillion in revenue.  They need a self-paced digital tool like Ascent to help them scale up  and thrive,” stated SBA Assistant Administrator of the Office for Women’s Business Ownership, Natalie Madeira Cofield. “As  Administrator Guzman has reinforced, opportunities for every woman  aspiring to lead and grow our economy should be afforded to the greatest  extent of our reach.”

For more information on Ascent, visit Ascent.SBA.gov and  register for your free access today. For additional opportunities on  how women entrepreneurs can start, grow and recover, visit SBA.gov or contact your local SBA District Office.

Original source can be found here.