Google’s ‘Get Your Business Online’ (GYBO) initiative gives small businesses throughout the country the tools to get online, including an easy-to-build website with a customized domain name and business listings on Google.
Senator Mary Landrieu meets with Lauri Wallace. Photo credit: Jim Simpson, U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.
GYBO helped one jewelry business owner, Lauri Wallace, develop an online presence after an event held last August in Lafayette. The event was produced by Senator Mary Landrieu, in partnership with Google, who was recently featured in the GYBO promotion video (see below). Last week, Wallace visited Senator Landrieu’s D.C. office, which could not have happened without the event over the summer and the continuing efforts of the GYBO initiative.
“It has been said that the secret of getting ahead is getting started,” said Senator Landrieu. “Lauri Wallace is a prime example of that… with Google’s help, Lauri is growing [her] business.”
Senator Landrieu is Chair of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship and the sister of New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu. She is passionate about Louisiana businesses just as much as she is concerned with small businesses on a larger national scale.
“In the past, the success of a Louisiana business could often be determined by its proximity to major roads such as I-10 or I-20. The Internet has now changed these traditional business models that small businesses once relied on. Now it is no longer a luxury to have an online presence, it is a necessity,” said Senator Landrieu. “Google’s ‘Get Your Business Online’ initiative is helping these small business owners to create an online presence and compete in an ever growing global market. That is why I am excited to partner with them in the creation of this video, and I look forward to continuing to work with Google to help bring educational tools and resources to the more than 380,000 small businesses in Louisiana.”
According to Scott Levitan, Director of Small Business Engagement at Google, 58% of small businesses do not have a website. In Louisiana, only 36% of all small businesses have a website. Senator Landrieu said she is looking forward to continuing the partnership with Google to help more businesses get online and get ahead.