A new initiative to empower and reimagine small business strategies in Fruitvale is currently underway at The Unity Council! This month, the Small Business Services team recently launched Onward Oakland: Adelante Oakland in an effort to help Oakland small businesses develop an innovative business model while providing the resources they need.
Onward Oakland: Adelante Oakland’s first launch includes Adelante Fruitvale: Adelante Comericante (Forward Fruitvale, Forward Merchant), a segmented marketing campaign to pivot Fruitvale businesses towards the digital age.
According to Mayra Chavez, Small Business Service Manager at The Unity Council, the pandemic accelerated the need for small business owners to have a presence in the digital world.
“Over 60% of the businesses that are part of the Fruitvale Business Improvement District did not have any online presence when the pandemic started and even less have an e-commerce to sell their products or goods,” said Chavez. “The Business Services Team has been working hard to create a marketing segment to support our businesses and have them attract more customers and create more revenue.”
Adelante Fruitvale: Adelante Comerciante focuses on creating a social media presence by teaching business owners how to use social media accounts to promote their business. To add capacity to this campaign, The Unity Council has partnered with Good Good Eatz, an Oakland-based initiative with a focus on pivoting small businesses and restaurants toward a resilient future. Good Good Eatz has previously worked on similar projects throughout Oakland including in Chinatown and the Black Cultural Zone.
Adelante Fruitvale: Adelante Comerciante celebrated its kickoff event on September 8th with ten participating businesses including Bakery El Sol, Nena’s Hair Studio, and Los Cocos Salvadoran Restaurant. “Small business owners have the power to showcase their business and attract new customers from all across the Bay Area,” Chavez said. “We want to teach them these new skills and use that empowerment to move them towards the 21st century.”