SWFL Entrepreneur Receives Startup Grant

Oct. 16, 2012 - PRLog -- Betty Armas, a graduate of the Southwest Florida MicroEnterprise Project, has received a grant to help support her fledgling small business. Armas was awarded $2,500 from Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida, Inc.  

Armas is the founder of Galapagos Green Tours, a travel agency that offers trips to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands. “I used to be the owner and operator of a sailboat that offered trips to the Galapagos Islands,” says Aramas. “After I sold the boat, my dream was to open a travel agency.”

Since its beginnings in the first half of 2010, Southwest Florida MicroEnterprise has graduated 96 entrepreneurs. There are now 44 graduates in business, 26 of which were new start-ups. They currently have a total of 68 employees. The MicroEnterprise Project is a partnership of several organizations and provides training for individuals with low-to-moderate income and/or other disadvantages who are interested in starting their own businesses.

“I am a single mom. I need to pay for legal permits, website, and advertising,” continues Armas. “This grant means a lot to me.” The money came from the Lee County Department of Human Services grant to Goodwill for the MicroEnterprise Project.

The MicroEnterprise Project is administrated by Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida. The program is part of Goodwill’s mission to help people overcome their barriers to employment and independence.

To learn more about the Southwest Florida MicroEnterprise Project, please visit http://www.goodwillswfl.org/microenterprise or call Elliott Rittenhouse, Director of MicroEnterprise at Goodwill: (239) 995-2106 ext. 2215