Native-Owned Firm Helps Small Businesses Boost Their Digital Marketing
Client: Kelly Shaggy, owner of EduTechTrek LLC
Client Location: Ashland, WI
CDFI: Entrepreneur Fund
CDFI Service Area: Minnesota, Wisconsin
Technical assistance and small business financing with support from the Finance Justice Fund
Like many business owners, Kelly Shaggy’s path to entrepreneurship wasn’t a linear one. During the pandemic, she decided to combine her teaching and digital media background to form her own business. Today, Kelly owns EduTechTrek LLC, a marketing firm that focuses on empowering small business owners to learn digital marketing skills and leverage technology to manage and grow their own enterprises.
Kelly first connected with partners in her Northern Wisconsin region, including the Vocational Rehabilitation for Native Americans (VRNA) program, the Ashland Area Development Corporation (AADC), and the local Small Business Development Center (SBDC), who identified working capital as a need for her to grow her business. When she couldn’t access mainstream financing, a local bank referred her to Entrepreneur Fund (EFund).
The financing Kelly received from EFund is critical not only to EduTechTrek’s success but also offers significant benefits to her community. The growth of her business will positively impact herself and her family as well as the surrounding area of Native nations, including the Bad River Band of Lake Superior of Chippewa, of which Kelly is a descendant.
Kelly is the go-to vendor for the Bad River Sustainable Business Program to lead event training for local small businesses, including individual and group workshops. Additionally, EFund has added EduTechTrek LLC to its Expert Network, a trusted network of small business service providers.
“It’s easy to get imposter syndrome when you don’t see a lot of minority-owned businesses operating in the same industry,” Kelly shared. “Working with EFund and their partners was not only helpful but extremely validating. I felt like I was being taken seriously and their excitement got me excited about what I’m doing. Being a Native woman, I can’t tell you how much that means to me.”
“Kelly is a remarkably talented women who takes the time to understand her client’s needs and their industry before beginning her work. If you are in need of expert assistance with digital marketing, e-commerce, or client lead generation through social media, Kelly is an outstanding choice,” said Michael Lattery, EFund’s director of business finance.
Learn more about Kelly and her business on EFund’s blog.
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