Man provides important education to Latino entrepreneurs
Armando Ehrenzweig’s entrepreneurial spirit soars high. Even during challenging times. Back in mid-2000s, Ehrenzweig was a struggling entrepreneur hoping to expand his creative ventures.
“In the early days, I had this idea to somehow help people with their businesses,” he says. “As a sole entrepreneur struggling to keep afloat, I remember looking for help, and I found it through the SBDC (Small Business Development Center), the SBA (Small Business Administration) and other government organizations. But there was a gap back in 2010, and we didn’t have many resources like we have now in Spanish. That’s when I decided to do something about it.”
Ehrenzweig did something big. He launched Get in Motion Entrepreneurs, which has grown into a successful nonprofit that creates and assists a new generation of Latino leaders. Working diligently as executive director, Ehrenzweig was eventually able to provide educational business offerings that assisted in the development of entrepreneurs and small business owners in the Palm Springs area and Riverside County.
Working with highly underserved small business populations in their preferred language — Spanish — the organization grew.
“As Latinos, we bring our culture with us,” Ehrenzweig says. “Many times, we have a hard time understanding that we have an American culture and business. We don’t understand the system — how to register your business, how to be in compliance with the government, with the IRS, how to become a corporation, how to properly pay employees.
“That’s when you start protecting yourself and your people,” he says. “You can have better ways to grow your business once you understand the system. I remember, for myself, I just wanted to work and get paid but … there are several things you need to put in place in order to succeed.”
Recently, Get in Motion Entrepreneurs received a grant from the CIELO Fund through Inland Empire Community Foundation. Using the resources to gain support and produce a podcast offering vital information to entrepreneurs, Ehrenzweig is enthusiastic about the road ahead.
“Thanks to the podcast, we’re able to deliver business education in Spanish,” he says. “We’ve reached a lot of people, and we just want to continue growing the podcast.”
Support for the nonprofit is solid thus far. But even though the organization has synced with several companies, nonprofits and government programs, there is still a significant need for assistance.
“I was taking a look to the numbers, and Latinos are kind of one step ahead when it comes to entrepreneurship,” he says. “But at the same time, we are falling back in succeeding. We have great numbers saying that Latinos are opening more businesses as a minority — but also we are the ones closing the most because of the lack of understanding of the system. So, I’m excited about reaching as much people as we can so we can provide education for those small entrepreneurs and also big businesses.”
The organization’s podcast is available through the group’s website. Other resources abound there as well — including the latest news and developments within the Latino business community.
Additional resources, such as access to a Poverty and Latinos in Coachella Valley report further illuminate matters. For instance, a family of four with an annual household income of $24,000 is considered to be “living in poverty.”
All these filter into the nonprofit’s overall mission, and thanks to the addition of new board members, Get in Motion Entrepreneurs is in a prime position to make greater impact in the future.
Learn more about Get in Motion Entrepreneurs at gogetinmotion.com.
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