SPONSORED CONTENT -- (StatePoint) Small businesses were hit particularly hard by the pandemic, with nearly 10 million American small businesses closing their doors at least temporarily over the past 15 months. Despite an uncertain economy, small business owners were resilient, creative and agile, shifting their business models to take advantage of e-commerce, many for the first time.

Before COVID-19, more than one in three small businesses had never reported a digital sale. Today, nearly seven out of eight small businesses are selling goods and services online. For the millions of resilient small businesses still operating, the mass move to online and mobile shopping ushers in a new era of opportunity. At the same time, additional resources will be needed to support them.

“For over a year, small businesses have faced one unimaginable challenge after another,” says Mike Katz, executive vice president, T-Mobile for Business. “At a time when mobile connectivity and internet access are required to advertise services, sell products and interact with customers, no small business should be without these necessary resources.”

To help fuel the resurgence of small business, T-Mobile is offering the following solutions and benefits, available today:

• New smartphone plans. Staying viable in a mobile-first world requires affordable connectivity. To that end, T-Mobile is offering new smartphone plans purpose-built for business. Every plan includes unlimited talk, text, and data over America’s largest, fastest, and most reliable 5G network, and high-speed mobile hotspot data to power whole teams on-the-go.  

• High-speed internet. As bad as broadband access can be for consumers who must deal with high-prices and sparse competition, it’s often actually worse for small businesses. Many business plans from traditional ISPs deliver the same service levels as residential plans, but for often twice the price. Small Business Internet from T-Mobile delivers fast, reliable connectivity without annual contracts or costly surprises, along with tech support from dedicated experts.

• Digital outreach. Today, two-thirds of Facebook users visit a local business page at least once weekly. In a world that packed a decade of digital transformation into the last year, it often takes digital savvy and the ability to reach customers online to succeed. Through a new program, Facebook Advertising on Us, small businesses can receive up to three one-on-one consultations with a Facebook Marketing Expert, along with educational resources. Plus, every small business on T-Mobile with three or more lines can get $200 in digital advertising to market their company on Facebook and Instagram.

“By pairing fast, reliable internet with digital tools, training and marketing support, we can help small businesses connect with their communities,” says Mark D’Arcy, Facebook vice president of Global Business Marketing.

For additional resources, visit t-mobile.com/opportunity. To access a growing library of new original content on entrepreneurship, visit t-mobile.com/business/magenta-edge. Finally, beginning June 1, 2021 through July 9, 2021, small businesses nationwide are invited to visit t-mobile.com/opportunity-sweepstakes to enter for a chance be one of six small businesses to win a 5G smartphone or tablet; or one of five to win a package of five 5G devices; or one of two to win a full 5G makeover with five 5G smartphones, a 5G tablet and $5000 to spend on anything.

Small businesses are critical to the prosperity of local communities and the economy at-large. Thanks to new resources, they’ll be equipped to take advantage of the opportunities that exist in today’s digital world.

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