ORANGE COUNTY - Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva hosted a Small Business Resource Fair on Friday August 25, which took place at a new mall called the Source OC, in Buena Park. It featured over 35/nearly 40 organizations, and programs that offered resources and information for new and growing businesses in the Orange County area. Jesse Torres, the California Small Business Advocate, was the guest speaker at the event. The event also included an entrepreneurial panel and pop-up presentations on business development issues, such as how to use social media to build your customer base.
âWe are celebrating small businesses, and the importance of entrepreneurship in developing strong, and economically resilient communities,â said Quirk-Silva. âOur hope in putting this event together is to provide Orange County businesses with a time-efficient opportunity to learn about federal, state, and local resources that are available, to support the their success.â
âCaliforniaâs small businesses form the core of the stateâs economy â in fact â nearly 90% of the firms in our state have less than 20 employees, and job growth is strongest among these types of firms,â said Quirk-Silva. âSmall businesses are the embodiment of the American Dream, and the backbone of our local communities. The hard work, dedication, and entrepreneurial spirit of Californiaâs small business owners help fuel our stateâs economic engine.â
Background:
Business ownership is a great equalizer in our society, with the number of firms owned and operated by women, especially women of color, having increased drastically since over the past decade. [Survey of Business Owners 2002-2012]
Business ownership among women was up 13.7%. [2002 to 2012]
Business ownership among black women was up 67.5%. [2002 to 2012]
Business ownership among Latino women was up 87%. [2002 to 2012]