Mayor Levine Cava's Strive 305 Small Business Initiative partners with BizHack Academy to offer free digital marketing class series for business owners

MIAMI ( September 30, 2021 ) — Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava announced today that Miami-based BizHack Academy will be a foundational partner of the Strive 305 Small Business Innovation Program. To kick off the partnership, BizHack Academy is hosting three #BizHackLive Digital Marketing Master Classes in September and October at no cost to the community. BizHack-certified instructors will provide actionable tips and free tools to enhance a business’ Instagram account, LinkedIn presence, and website. These live webinar sessions will help business owners and entrepreneurs find customers online by upgrading their digital presence. Strive 305 is an initiative of the Mayor’s Office of Equity and Inclusion in the Division of Innovation and Performance. Strive 305 provides connection to resources, technical assistance, and collaborative spaces where small business owners can learn and support one another. BizHack Academy is the first of many partners in this multi-year initiative to support small businesses across Miami-Dade County. “We are excited to partner with Miami-based companies like BizHack to offer valuable capacity building opportunities – free of charge – to our small businesses countywide,” said Mayor Levine Cava. “Developing marketing capacity is essential to sustainability and growth, and we are committed to providing tools and resources to help our local businesses continue to grow and thrive as we recover our economy post-pandemic.” “We are honored to be one of the foundational partners of the Strive 305 initiative,” said Dan Grech, Founder and CEO of BizHack Academy. “Small businesses are the backbone of our economy nationwide and especially in South Florida, and supporting entrepreneurs during this turbulent time is at the core of BizHack’s mission.” These Master Classes are part of the award-winning #BizHackLive series to support South Florida small businesses in the time of a pandemic and were recognized nationally by the American Marketing Association and PR Daily. The three webinars in this Digital Marketing Series are free and open to the community. The series kicked off on Wednesday, September 29, 2021, on “Leveraging LinkedIn to Grow Your Business.” The second session will be on Wednesday, October 6, 2021, from 12:30 to 1:30 pm ET, on “How to Conduct Your Own Digital Marketing Audit.” The third session will be on Wednesday, October 13, 2021, from 12:30 to 1:30 pm ET, on “Tips to Make Instagram Pop for your Brand.” Only one registration is required to attend all three webinars. Those interested can reserve a free spot here: https://try.bizhack.com/MCseries. After completing the Master Class series, participants will be able to upgrade their digital profile and presence to better connect with potential customers and employees, stand out from the competition, and increase their visibility online. Future Master Classes may be held on other small business digital marketing topics such as Google My Business, Content Marketing, Google Ads and more. To learn more or register, visit https://try.bizhack.com/MCseries. ABOUT THE DIGITAL MARKETING MASTER CLASS SERIES Master Class 1: “Leveraging LinkedIn to Grow Your Business” Date & Time: Wednesday, September 29, 2021 from 12:30-1:30 pm ET Description: LinkedIn marketing expert Sheryl Cattell of BizHack Academy will share practical tips and tools that B2B companies as well as consultants and marketing and sales professionals can use to immediately increase their visibility and thought leadership on LinkedIn. The workshop will cover the key elements your LinkedIn profile and company page must include to make the most of this powerful selling tool. Participants will receive a checklist of best practices for their profile. Master Class 2: “How to Conduct Your Own Digital Marketing Audit” Date & Time: Wednesday, October 6, 2021 from 12:30-1:30 pm ET Description: Marketing agency owner Ricardo Berris of BizHack Academy will walk you through the digital audit he conducts for his clients, including SEO, social media, website, and content. In a live demo of the tricks of the trade, he’ll walk you through the free tools that professional marketers use to achieve major results and growth. You’ll leave this session equipped with the resources and tools you need to strategize and execute a thorough audit of your company’s digital presence to hit your growth goals. Master Class 3: “Tips to Make Instagram Pop for your Brand” Date & Time: Wednesday, October 13, 2021 from 12:30-1:30 pm ET Description: Marketing and branding expert Tatiana McDaniel of BizHack Academy will share tips and tricks on how to create a consistent look and feel for your business on Instagram. She’ll review examples of who’s doing Instagram visual branding “right,” how to develop and maintain your brand voice, and what community management and customer engagement should look like on Instagram. Register for the Master Class Series here: https://try.bizhack.com/MCseries ABOUT MIAMI-DADE MAYOR’S OFFICE STRIVE 305 INITIATIVE The Strive 305 program is designed to accelerate the growth of small businesses countywide and support budding entrepreneurs as they launch and grow new businesses. The program will support the small business community through:

• An online small business and entrepreneurship hub that will inform, educate, and connect small businesses to the resources offered by the county and its partners
• A virtual small business incubator that will feature a full educational curriculum, coaching, and mentorship opportunities for companies of all types and states of growth
• A countywide network of physical incubators, co-working spaces and maker studios equipped with the tools entrepreneurs need to launch new ventures
• Multi-week technical assistance bootcamps to help small businesses overcome common challenges such as access to capital, finances, business planning, branding, digital marketing, sales, operations and more

For more information about the initiative, visit https://www.miamidade.gov/strive305 ABOUT OFFICE OF EQUITY & INCLUSION IN THE MAYOR’S DIVISION OF INNOVATION AND PERFORMANCE The Office of Equity & Inclusion in the Mayor’s Division of Innovation and Performance builds on Miami-Dade County’s commitment to deliver excellent services to the community, and works to bring together government, nonprofit and private sector partners to dismantle systemic inequities and barriers to opportunity. Danilo Vargas is the Small Business Innovation Manager tasked by the Mayor to build upon the success of Accelerate South Dade for countywide initiatives. Danilo identifies educational and skill-building resources to accelerate small business growth and expand access to entrepreneurs in underserved communities. He regularly engages with the small business owners of Miami-Dade to assist them in recovery and fully participating in the post-pandemic economy. ABOUT BIZHACK ACADEMY Miami-based BizHack Academy is creator of the award-winning Lead Building System™, a proven process to find customers online for businesses and organizations limited in staff, budget, and time. Since its start in 2018, BizHack has trained thousands of businesses in the Lead Building System from across Miami-Dade County and around the world, ranging from startups to Fortune 500 companies, including NBCUniversal, Whirlpool, Novartis, Wells Fargo, and Royal Caribbean. The average participant in its 7-week accelerated program generated $29 in lifetime value for every $1 spent in ads. BizHack has participated in business accelerator programs funded by Goldman Sachs, the Knight Foundation, and Entrepreneur’s Organization. It has partnered with more than a dozen university programs, including StartUP FIU, The Idea Center at Miami Dade College, and the Innovation Hub at Broward College. It was awarded Top Global Campaign in 2020 by the American Marketing Association, was a finalist for Cause Marketer of the Year in 2021 by Ragan’s PR Daily, and was recognized as a Top Startup in 2019 in The Miami Herald’s Startup Challenge. For more information about BizHack Academy, visit www.bizhack.com or call (786) 664-7324 or email info@bizhack.com.