Sponsored by the Walmart Foundation and SDG&E, this program gave San Diego County small business owners the tools, training, and coaching to get found online — many for the first time.
Maresa Friedman served as Lead Instructor and Curriculum Architect.
The Sponsors
Program Host
The regional workforce development agency connecting San Diego County residents and businesses to economic opportunity. SDWP commissioned the program and provided access to the small business owner participants.
Grant Sponsor
Provided grant funding to expand digital access and economic mobility for small business owners in underserved communities — making the program free to all participants.
Co-Sponsor
San Diego Gas & Electric co-sponsored the program as part of its commitment to supporting local economic development and small business growth across San Diego County.
The Problem
Small business owners in San Diego County were operating without a verified digital presence. No Google Business Profile. No Apple Maps listing. No Yelp page. When customers searched for their services online, they simply didn't appear.
This wasn't a marketing problem. It was an access problem. The tools existed — but no one had shown these business owners how to use them in a structured, supported way that produced real results.
Digital visibility is not a luxury — it's the baseline for competing in any local market. But access to the knowledge, tools, and support needed to establish that visibility is not equally distributed.
The San Diego Workforce Partnership, Walmart Foundation, and SDG&E came together to close that gap — and brought Maresa in to design and deliver the solution.
Maresa's Role
Maresa built the full program arc from zero — designing a structured learning journey that took participants from no digital presence to fully verified, optimized, and active listings across every major local discovery platform.
She delivered hands-on training sessions that translated enterprise-level local SEO strategy into step-by-step actions any business owner could execute — regardless of their prior technical experience.
The program was designed to integrate with SDWP's broader programming — giving participants access to workforce development resources alongside the digital marketing training.
After the formal program ended, Maresa provided ongoing coaching and support to ensure participants could maintain and build on their results independently — sustaining the 40% growth beyond the initial 30 days.
The Program
Claim, verify, and fully optimize their listing so they appear in local search results and Google Maps when customers search for their services.
Establish verified presence on every major local discovery platform — ensuring they're findable on every device, not just on Google.
Build consistent NAP (Name, Address, Phone) data across the web to strengthen local authority and improve ranking across all platforms.
Generate and respond to reviews in a way that builds trust with new customers and improves ranking in local search results.
A repeatable system for keeping listings accurate, active, and competitive over time — without requiring ongoing technical expertise.
Participants also gained access to SDWP's broader programming — connecting digital marketing skills to workforce development, hiring support, and business growth resources.
The Result
Within one month of completing the program, participants had measurably grown their online presence by 40% — verified listings, increased discoverability, and real customers finding them for the first time.
Where They Showed Up
Every participant achieved verified, active listings across all major local discovery platforms — making them findable to customers searching on any device, in any app, on any platform.
The goal was simple: every business owner who finished this program would be findable. Not eventually. In 30 days.
— Maresa Friedman, Lead Instructor
Why This Matters
Large businesses have dedicated marketing teams, agency relationships, and budget for digital infrastructure. Small business owners — especially in underserved communities — often have none of those. The gap compounds over time.
The same local search fundamentals that drive enterprise visibility apply to a sole proprietor in San Diego. Maresa's ability to translate complex strategy into practical, executable steps is what made this program work at community scale.
By embedding local search marketing within the Workforce Partnership's programming, participants gained more than a listing — they gained access to a broader ecosystem of business development resources.
The post-program coaching model ensured the 40% growth wasn't a one-time spike. Participants left with a repeatable system and ongoing support — the foundation for compounding digital presence over time.
Downloads
PDF One-Pager
Single-page PDF with key stats, program overview, sponsors, and outcomes — ready to share or reference.
↓ Download One-PagerWhether you're building a community program, scaling a business, or positioning for a stage — the fundamentals of visibility, clarity, and credibility are the same. Let's build yours.