A grant from the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation to support small business relief and recovery from COVID-19 is paying for the Small Business Development Center at Jamestown Community College to focus on providing website development and ecommerce training to small businesses.

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated changes happening to traditional business models. With on-site store closings, business must have e-commerce components in their business plan in order to survive. Although many businesses in the region have an online presence via social media platforms, only a few have websites and even fewer have an e-commerce presence. Small Business Development Center business advisors can provide help creating websites and offer training on implementing ecommerce platforms to a website.

Business owners who want learn about ecommerce can go to the SBDC Online Business Academy to take a free course on using Shopify, Etsy, and WooCommerce at smallbusinessacademy.thinkific.com. For help creating a website and/or implementing ecommerce platforms, individuals can contact the SBDC at 338-1024 for free and confidential one on one guidance.