Apple “Made for Business”: Free Workshops Empowering Small Businesses
Beginning in May, a special Today at Apple series titled “Made for Business” will offer small business owners and entrepreneurs free opportunities to learn how Apple products and services can support their growth and success.
Led by small business owners, the sessions will highlight how these organizations have used Apple products such as iPhone, iPad, and Mac — along with resources such as Apple Business Connect, Apple Business Essentials, and Tap to Pay on iPhone — to build their businesses, reach customers in new ways, and push their organizations forward.
“At Apple, we know small businesses are the backbone of local communities, which is why we are constantly innovating to help at every stage of their growth,” said Deirdre O’Brien, Apple’s senior vice president of Retail. “Our retail stores provide only-at-Apple experiences such as community and education sessions, free Today at Apple programming, and ongoing support from in-store experts who help small businesses find the perfect technology to supercharge their work.”
“Made for Business” Programming
Kicking off during National Small Business Week in the U.S., Today at AppIe will offer six “Made for Business” sessions throughout May in Chicago, Miami, New York, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C., with ongoing programming in select stores around the world throughout the year. Led by small business owners with diverse and unique stories, the sessions will highlight how Apple products and services have powered their businesses’ success.
One of those businesses is Washington, D.C.-based Mozzeria, a Deaf-owned pizzeria founded with a mission to provide customers with a warm, memorable, and visually captivating experience of Deaf culture. During the session at Apple Carnegie Library, Theodore Miller, Mozzeria’s director of National Operations, will demonstrate how the restaurant’s staff leverages Apple’s accessibility features to help break down barriers and empower the business.
“To build a truly inclusive and community-driven business, we must focus on putting people first. That means adapting our technology and practices to be more accessible. Apple’s innovations have been key in helping us boost efficiency and connect with customers,” said Miller. “Whether it’s using Dictation on iPhone or iPad for speech-to-text in the Notes app, or enabling Live Captions for phone calls, Apple’s tools help bridge communication gaps and set higher standards for businesses in today’s fast-paced world.”
Resources for Businesses
In Apple Store locations, dedicated business teams, known as Business Pros and Business Experts, are available to support small businesses at every stage of their growth. Whether a business owner is looking to learn which products and services are right for their team, or interested in expanding their use of Apple’s tools, Business Pros can help curate personalized solutions, facilitate easy purchasing and shipping, and help small businesses get set up with Apple resources, including:
- Apple Business Connect, a free tool allowing businesses of all sizes to customize how they appear to more than a billion Apple users across Apple Maps, Messages, Wallet, Siri, and other apps. With Business Connect, businesses can directly manage their information in the interactive Apple Maps place card, including creating Custom Action Links that direct users to their website or preferred platform and make it easy for customers to place orders, reserve a table, and more, right from the place card.
- Apple Business Essentials, one complete subscription that seamlessly brings together device management, 24/7 support, and cloud storage. Business owners can easily manage the Apple devices in their organizations and scale up as they grow.1
- Tap to Pay on iPhone, which provides businesses with an easy, secure, and private way to accept in-person contactless payments. This includes contactless debit and credit cards, Apple Pay, and other digital wallets, using only an iPhone and a partner-enabled iOS app — no additional hardware or payment terminal needed. Tap to Pay on iPhone uses the built-in features of the iPhone to keep business and customer data private and secure.
Apple technology is woven into the fabric of small businesses and has enabled design and manufacturing company Sock Club to grow from a small subscription service into a bespoke textile company.
“We’re excited to be in a period of rapid growth. Apple is a key enabler of that,” said Noah Lee, Sock Club’s co-founder.
The small business relies on Business Essentials to deploy and configure the company’s entire fleet of Apple devices from Texas to North Carolina remotely — allowing the team to concentrate on the business, not tech support.
“Apple Business Essentials offers a platform to scale business operations, making onboarding new employees and setting up new Apple devices fast and easy,” said Max Williamson, Sock Club’s vice president of Customer Success and Strategic Partnerships.
Dedicated in-store teams and purpose-built tools for business are just some of the ways that Apple is supporting companies of all sizes and in every region of the globe. No matter where a business is on its journey, Apple has the tools to help.
Available year-round, Today at Apple also provides sessions for business teams or colleagues through group reservations. Businesses can get started with new devices, explore new skills and tools with a dedicated expert, and discover what Apple’s latest products can do for their business. Attendees can sign up at apple.com/today/groups.
