Wyoming Community Navigator Program Offers Expanded Services to Small

The Wyoming Community Navigator Program (CNP) is expanding its services to help small-business owners succeed.

The Wyoming CNP, through the Wyoming Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network at the University of Wyoming, provides small-business resources and assistance for traditionally underserved entrepreneurs throughout Wyoming. The new CNP services include funding for professional and marketing assistance, as well as online subscription services.

“Based on our conversations with entrepreneurs across the state, one common barrier we found for new businesses is affording professional business service providers, such as accountants and lawyers, and subscriptions to software to help with things such as bookkeeping and graphic design,” says Nicholas Giraldo, program manager for the Wyoming CNP.

Professional services include assistance in the areas of accounting, legal work, e-commerce and translating important documents. To qualified clients, CNP also can fund software subscriptions such as QuickBooks and Canva. 

To assist Wyoming small businesses with their online marketing efforts, CNP’s marketing consulting services aid in website design consulting, digital marketing template creation, messaging and branding consulting.

“This is a game-changer for all small businesses in Wyoming, and we’re excited to connect these entrepreneurs with local resources to help them think big even if they are starting small,” Giraldo says.

The beginning of the new year is the perfect time for business owners to update their marketing strategies and/or new software programs to start, grow or pivot their businesses, he adds.

To take part in these CNP expanded services, visit www.wyomingcommunitynavigator.org and click on the “sign up” link. An adviser will contact small-business owners to assess their eligibility for services. For additional information, call Giraldo at (307) 399-8694 or email ngiraldo@uwyo.edu.

About the Wyoming Community Navigator Program 

The Wyoming CNP mobilizes and leverages the Wyoming entrepreneurial support network to reduce barriers all small businesses -- including those owned by veterans, women and those from rural communities and communities of color -- often face in accessing capital and technical assistance.

The Wyoming CNP uses a hub-and-spoke model to pursue its goals, in which the Wyoming SBDC Network acts as the central hub. The Wyoming SBDC Network coordinates efforts of the spokes to target outreach and services to business communities in need throughout the state.

Through their collective efforts, the hub and spokes provide training, mentorship, access to capital and access to other resources to help business owners build resiliency and, ultimately, be the driving force behind Wyoming’s economic recovery.