PHOENIX — If you've ever dreamed of owning your own business, it's OK to ask for help and the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce has plenty of resources to bring your best ideas to life!
ABC15 Mornings Anchor Kaley O'Kelley stopped by the AZHCC to hear about the huge opportunities for members thanks to partnerships with the chamber.
"One of our clients just received a contract for $15 million to do some construction work in Washington, DC," said AZHCC Executive Director Kaaren-Lyn Graves.
She also leads the Capital Readiness Program and tells us the resources available at the AZHCC are not limited to those who are Hispanic. She says chamber services are available to all members.
"I've been with the chamber since 2013. I've been here for quite some time. When I first started, we were in a big community meeting. I remember Monica Villalobos, who is the president and CEO of the Arizona Hispanic Chamber, saying, 'Raise your hand if you serve the Hispanic community,' and all these hands went up."
She said, 'Keep your hand up. I consider you a Hispanic business owner,'" Graves explained. "When you start looking at things from that different perspective, you'll start seeing how we all work together."
The chamber’s impressive connection with Amazon has become crucial for members now listing items for sale and finding real financial success.
"We have the cameras. We have the platform to help get that marketing on Amazon," Graves said.
"For someone who wants to sell things on Amazon, maybe they've been trying to do this on their own, and they've been hitting roadblocks, they can come here and get those questions answered and truly see how this system works successfully," she added.
Because of a partnership with the Freeport-McMoRan Foundation and Arizona State University’s Thunderbird School of Global Management, Graves says AZHCC can administer The DreamBuilder program-- with a twist.
"After the eight-week boot camp, members will go through the Capital Readiness Program or other programs with the chamber for one year. We give them a laptop. We help them with seed funding to start their business. We give them wrap-around services."
To learn more about the AZHCC and the variety of programs and resources offered visit their website here.
