Conference fosters entrepreneurship among Latino community

The third annual Latino Small Business Conference is coming to Grand Island, Omaha, Lincoln and Gering in August and October.

The Spanish-language conference aims to ignite the entrepreneurial spirit among Latino business owners. In line with this year’s theme, “All About Business,” speakers will share innovative strategies and tools to help strengthen businesses, and attendees can network with other entrepreneurs.

The conference addresses the unique challenges and opportunities Nebraska’s Latino entrepreneurs face, while providing insight and applications for sustained success. Session topics range from marketing to social media trends to loan applications.

“The Latino Small Business Conference has become a landmark of the Latino business community,” said Sandra Barrera, the Rural Prosperity Nebraska Extension educator coordinating the conference. “Often, entrepreneurship is solitary. At this conference, we get to see that there’s an entire community of like-minded entrepreneurs getting together and collaborating. We can all draw strength, ideas and success from each other.”

Keynote speakers, industry experts and successful Latino entrepreneurs will share their experiences and offer advice on how to start and grow businesses. The conference also will include discussions and networking opportunities.

Between sessions, attendees can visit an exhibitor hall and explore products and services from local businesses and organizations that cater to entrepreneurs.

The conference is organized through the Latino Small Business Program, which provides business development guidance to immigrant entrepreneurs interested in creating their own businesses in Nebraska. Through educational courses and trainings, the program equips entrepreneurs and business owners with knowledge to successfully take each step of the business-creation process.

This year, the conference will take place in four locations, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. local time.

• Grand Island, Hall County Extension Office, 3180 U.S. Highway 34, Aug. 10
• Omaha, The Salvation Army Omaha Kroc Center, 2825 Y St., Aug. 17
• Lincoln, Sandhills Global Event Center, 4100 N. 84th St., Aug. 24
• Gering, Hotel 21 and Co., 2605 10th St., Suite 3, Oct. 15

Registration is open on the Hall County Nebraska Extension website. 

For more information about the Latino Small Business Program, visit the Rural Prosperity Nebraska website.