Offered by New Ventures Maine, Grow Your Business Online is an online, tuition-free course designed to provide small business owners the tools, skills and mentorship to build a successful digital presence. This course is a partnership with the Association for Enterprise Opportunity (AEO) and GoDaddy.

Using an online platform, entrepreneurs complete lessons on topics that drill down their company's brand, determine the most effective website type, create captivating content, engage best practices for getting to the top of search results, create and build a website, make the social media/website connection, use email marketing to grow sales, and understand cybersecurity to keep customer information safe. 

As part of the program, entrepreneurs receive a bundle of free tools including a domain name, hosting package, web builder, email marketing solution, and SEO for a two-year term. 50%-75% discounts are expected on renewals.

Strategically placed facilitated orientation sessions (May 13,from 12 - 1 p.m., and May 18, from 6 - 7 p.m.), group coaching sessions with GoDaddy experts (June 16, from 6:30 - 8 p.m.) and work/lab sessions (June 2, from 12 - 1:30 p.m. and 9th, from 6:30 - 8 p.m.) provide additional networking and troubleshooting support as they develop their website and online presence.

“COVID has accentuated that a digital presence is a requirement for today’s businesses,” says Karin Petrin, in a New Ventures news release.

Petrin is Business Advisor and Microenterprise Specialist for New Ventures Maine and one of the facilitators of the workshops.

“This course helps business owners create an online presence from foundational digital content creation through complete development of a functional website with or without ecommerce),” she said. “We are excited to bring this free program and connection to GoDaddy’s global digital marketing experts to Maine’s rural entrepreneurs.” 

Registration is required and available at bit.ly/GYBOSpring2021. 

For more information, contact Jenn Dobransky at jenn.dobransky@maine.edu.

New Ventures Maine is a statewide community economic development program of the University of Maine at Augusta/University of Maine System. New Ventures Maine creates an empowering environment for Maine people to define and achieve their career, financial, and small business goals. Through tuition-free classes and individual coaching, they help people find good jobs, start or return to college, launch small businesses, manage their money and build their assets. All interactive classes and workshops are available online. Individual appointments are available by video conference or phone.