Program aims to teach Baltimore businesses how to build an online presence

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Web hosting company GoDaddy is bringing a program designed to help small businesses improve their web presences to Baltimore, the company announced Monday.

The program, which will be launched in collaboration with Impact Hub Baltimore, a local community workspace, will be called Empower Baltimore. Throughout 2022, GoDaddy volunteers will train approximately 150 small and microbusinesses — a term which refers to businesses with 10 or fewer employees — in skills like customer discovery, brand development, web content, marketing and e-commerce

Empower Baltimore will be a part of the firm’s Empower by GoDaddy program, a four-year-old initiative that partners with local nonprofits in 40 cities nationwide to help entrepreneurs gain these skills.

Having a strong online presence is vital to a small business’s success, said Michelle Geiss, co-founder and executive director of Impact Hub Baltimore.

“At the core, small businesses need to continually reach new audiences and build their brand in order to grow. A local business may sustain itself through word of mouth, personal networks, and in-person engagements for some period of time, but they will hit a ceiling without some online presence,” Geiss said. “Having a website serves as the front door to your small business, especially in this era where we rely on the internet for nearly everything we do. It enables customers to see who you are, what you’re about, and what you offer. It sets the first impression, and can be a vital channel to sell products and services. Businesses need to have some digital presence in order to stay competitive in today’s marketplace. The good news is there are tools to make this more approachable than ever.”

Impact Hub will help connect GoDaddy with small local businesses and will also help select participants.

“Partnering on-the-ground locally with organizations like Impact Hub Baltimore allows us to meet entrepreneurs directly where they are, no matter their circumstance or zip code, and provide them with customizable programs that uniquely fit their journey to entrepreneurship,” said Stacy Cline, GoDaddy corporate sustainability senior director.

Thirty entrepreneurs will be selected per cohort, with five cohorts joining the program each year. The six-week long program includes free in-person classes taught by Q Ragsdale and Bakari Jones, Impact Hub Baltimore’s director of acceleration and Empower program manager, respectively, bringing in GoDaddy experts to help as needed. Participants will also have access to a free domain, other web products and additional support.

Those not admitted to the program will receive access to self-guided, online courses; Geiss said the team is hoping at least 500 businesses will use these virtual resources.

While the first cohort of participants has already been chosen, entrepreneurs can apply for future cohorts via the programs website, www.empowerbaltimore.com.

The first meeting of the program’s inaugural cohort will be Feb. 15, while the program’s launch event will take place on Feb. 17. Called “A Night of Neighborhood Storytelling Presented by The Medicine Show,” the event will be held at Baltimore Center Stage and will feature local artists and musicians.