In its first 25 years of service, Prospera provided consulting to more than 13,000 entrepreneurs and helped them create or retain more than 15,000 jobs across Florida.
In fiscal year 2015-16 alone, Prospera generated $343.7 million in total economic output throughout the state of Florida after providing individual business consulting to 1,906 entrepreneurs, training 4,903 individuals in business seminars, marketing $8.9 million in loans for small business owners and helping clients create or retain more than 3,000 jobs.
Prospera is an economic development, nonprofit organization that empowers Hispanic entrepreneurs through training, support and resources so their businesses can grow and prosper.
As a Prospera client, you can receive assistance from in-house business consultants, subcontracted experts, workshop presenters, and volunteers from various industries who serve on advisory committees. Furthermore, Prospera offers access to a network of corporate sponsors, government funders and financial institutions with a desire to support small and minority-owned businesses. Thanks to generous funders, Prospera does not charge clients for services.
The organization specializes in providing bilingual assistance to Hispanic entrepreneurs who want to establish or expand their business in Florida. Its service model was created by Hispanic entrepreneurs for Hispanic entrepreneurs, and includes four lines of service:
Prospera’s business development consultants assist both experienced and new entrepreneurs to identify needs, opportunities and resources so their business can achieve greater success.
Prospera offers ongoing business training in Spanish, for business owners to continue their entrepreneurial education. Seminars include orientations for new entrepreneurs or businesses, and workshops on a variety of topics that are relevant to any new or experienced entrepreneur.
Prospera offers clients grants for subcontracted professional services to advance their businesses. Delivered by a network of authorized local providers—lawyers, accountants, graphic designers and more—these services are vetted for quality and prompt assistance, to meet the individual needs of each client.
Prospera offers clients guidance and support to access funding for their business from various sources. This may include credit improvement advice, introductions to potential lenders, loan application preparation for traditional and micro-loans, business plan development and business concept presentations.