Nakia Vestal, CEO and owner of DollMaker Lashes in Houston, TX, says that she never dreamed she’d be able to pull off running a business—and creating a brand, too—while doing it all on her own. But the beauty entrepreneur is doing just that. Her eyelash salon has been in business for over six years; this year she added a product line, too. By taking courses on the Verizon Small Business Digital Ready portal, Vestal was able to upgrade her business know-how on topics such as finances and social media marketing. “Everything was a learning experience for me—from A to Z,” she says. “With the Verizon Small Business Digital Ready program, I was able to learn how to run my business professionally.” Vestal applied for and received a $10,000 small business grant through the Verizon Small Business Digital Ready program. She used the funds to create branding for her new product line, to create a website that could handle e-commerce, and to buy the supplies to start mass producing her products. “The world’s going to know who DollMaker Lashes is,” says Vestal. Verizon Small Business Digital Ready is a part of Citizen Verizon, the company’s responsible business plan to move the world forward for all. Sign up for the free courses at verizon.com/smallbusinessdigitalready

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