Local Business Get Online with GetVirtual.org

By Jondi Gumz

Santa Cruz serial entrepreneur Toby Corey and UC Santa Cruz entrepreneurship instructor Nada Miljković have teamed up to launch a new way for local storefront businesses to offer their products and services online.

It’s called GetVirtual.org.

“We’ve done something special and unique here in Santa Cruz,” said Corey.

He said Miljković “moved mountains” to set up a course where students get credit for setting up websites for local businesses with Shopify and Stripe for shoppers to order and pay. Students also can set up online
marketing campaigns via email or social media.

The first business going live is Pacific Trading, a women’s clothing shop opened by Carolyn Heinrich in 1985.

More than 30 business owners have signed up for GetVirtual.org.

UCSC entrepreneur students working on this project include Stryker Buffington, Gideon Fox, Aaron Huang, Smeet Mehta, Ananya Misra, Bobby Misirian, Yuliya Monastryska, Arin Spanner and Anagha Vijay.

It has the support of Bonnie Lipscomb, director of the city of Santa Cruz Economic Development, Robert Singleton, executive director of the Santa Cruz County Business Council, Doug Erickson, the executive director of Santa Cruz Works, and Brad Barbeau, executive director of CSU Monterey Bay Institute for innovation and Economic Development.

“We have to think about how we do things differently,” said Santa Cruz Mayor Justin Cummings at a virtual event announcing the effort.

Lipscomb said the city has created “Jumpstart Your Restart,” a kit of social distancing signs, hand sanitizer made by Smith & Vandiver of Watsonville, and up to 25 masks per business for employees.

The city of Santa Cruz Economic Development Office also announced 51 microloans totaling $500,000 to Santa Cruz businesses, assisting cash-based operations in four sectors: Retail, restaurants, services and entertainment.

The names of the businesses will be made public later, officials said.

This initiative is in partnership with Santa Cruz Community Credit Union.

For info, see ChooseSantaCruz.com