Looking to start a new business? Here’s how to find assistance regardless of where you live in CA

With a new business center, the California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce is looking forward to helping aspiring business owners.Leer en españolSenior Vice President Óscar García says that as entrepreneurs recover from the pandemic, it’s especially essential for people to have a strategy to restart their businesses — that’s where they come in.They’ve opened their Torch Center, where they provide mentoring and resources to minority groups via their “Programa Hispano SBDC”. This is the first center of its nature in the state.There are no requirements. The only thing you need is an idea, and the help is available even to people who are starting up their new business from home and want to formalize through licenses and permits — exactly the way that Mayela Trejo, president, and CEO of By The Law Incorporated, started.”I think that a lot of our Latino businesses, the only reason we don’t succeed or we don’t move from where we’re at is that we don’t have the information or the resources needed,” said Trejo, who runs her own business and provides legal assistance to individuals and organizations.Trejo, despite fearing the worst, opened up her first office with the help of the California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce. She recalls the first time she had a line of people waiting for her services outside her door.”I had three people waiting. I cried. I thought, ‘How is this possible? They’re waiting for me,’ and I know it’s kind of silly but they were waiting for me to give them a service that I know I can do very well,” she saidAt least 14 consultants make up the center, which to date has already assisted more than 3,000 people in different industries.”Overall, within the last year, we’ve helped businesses acquire up to $10 million in grants and loans,” García said.Among the agencies working with the California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce are the IRS, the EDD, and the Franchise Tax Board.