Ellen Stone had been running her business, Tiny Home Central, for six years when she considered stepping back from her work. Like many entrepreneurs, Stone felt overloaded by day-to-day operations, despite her passion for helping people in San Diego, California, who dream of owning or living in movable tiny houses. “I was feeling pretty overwhelmed, honestly,” Stone says. “How would I get from where I was standing to the vision that I had for the future?” That’s when Stone discovered Verizon Small Business Digital Ready, a free online program. She picked up a great deal of financial know-how from Setting Up Accounting Software and other live events and now uses a business credit card and automates many financial processes with software. “So all of those parts of accomplishing my financial and business needs happen without me having to tell them what to do,” Stone explains. It saves her over 50 hours of office work every year, which translates into just under $10,000 in consulting rate value. “With the streamlined workflow and increased capacity, my business has currently had 170% revenue growth in 2025 compared to 2024,” Stone says. “So now I can be freed up to be in the field and doing what I love.” Tiny Home Central helps people navigate local ordinances and acquire the necessary permits to live in a movable tiny house or place one on their property legally. Stone manages the entire process, from working with contractors and managing architectural drawings, to situating the unit on the property and hooking it up to utilities. “I'm really mission-driven,” Stone says. She sees movable tiny houses as part of the solution to the housing crisis in the expensive San Diego market. Recently, she connected an anonymous philanthropist who funded a movable tiny house with someone whose home was lost in Los Angeles-area fires. “There’s actually no scarcity when people are connected; people get their needs met,” Stone says. “This person will have a new home that’s comfortable and beautiful and gets to move on with their life.” Verizon Small Business Digital Ready is part of Verizon’s goal to support 1 million small businesses by 2030 with free resources to help them succeed. To sign up, visit Verizon Small Business Digital Ready. Visit https://www.CitizenVerizon.com to learn more about the company’s responsible business efforts. An individual user's experience may vary and results are not guaranteed. #VerizonSmallBusinessDigitalReady #DigitalReady #SmallBusiness #EntrepreneurLife

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