What is Essentials and How to Apply in 2021

About

Essentials (previously Essentials Lite) is a custom website solution introduced in 2018 to provide business startups and nonprofits with an affordable alternative to our pricier solution. While still delivering a mobile ready and custom website (i.e., a website designed from scratch and not from a preexisting template) to businesses and organizations operating on a tight budget.

Thus, for businesses and organizations with basic needs in regards to functionality, features and interactivity, including limited need for copywriting and graphic design services. Essentials would be a perfect solution to consider most especially for those looking for an informational, brochure style or portfolio website.

What's Included, Price and Benefits

Priced at $3,000, Essentials comes packed with a host of benefits that include a custom designed website that is mobile ready and search engine optimized (SEO). To elaborate further with an example as to how much value we've packed into Essentials; the average starting price across the industry just to make an existing website mobile ready is around $2,500!

Another benefit is that all of our clients have a project manager assigned to their project. Whom also doubles as a business advisor whose lived and worked internationally as well as with international companies spanning numerous industries and on a range of business subjects. Subjects that include market access, business process redesign, operations and strategy to name a few.

So why have we included so much value in Essentials? The answer stems from the vision of our parent company, which is to become a driver of small business growth and development. In support thereof, we've extended Essentials in order to ensure business startups as well as nonprofits have an equal standing to their more established competitors in the marketplace.

The table below provides a summary of whats included with Essentials. For details about our other custom website solutions, please refer to our solutions web page.

What Essentials is Not

With the benefits summarized above we'd like to point out very quickly what Essentials does not cover, which includes: database and systems integration services and the inclusion of a content management system (CMS). However, despite a CMS, clients can still submit content and design-related changes to us. Please note that each request is reviewed on a case-by-case basis to determine whether or not any charges will be billed.

How to Apply

Each year Essentials is offered to 12 randomly selected business startups and nonprofits that apply through our Essentials web page. In an effort to ensure equal opportunity for all those interested to apply, a total of 4 rounds are held throughout the year. During which the first 15 to apply in each round will be considered eligible.

For 2021 the application process, from submission to when an email response from us is sent out is 2 weeks. Thus, applications will be accepted during the first week (Monday-Friday), internally reviewed and then followed up with an email response going out by the end of the second week.

The table below summarizes when each of the 4 rounds will be held. Exact dates for rounds 2-4 will be announced through our social media channels – Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

WEEP Members

For women-owned startup businesses we encourage and recommend that all who are interested apply for Essentials through the members area of the Women Economic Empowerment Programme (WEEP). A socioeconomic programme of our parent company that was launched in 2018. Information on how to apply through the members area will be shared in a separate blog post that will be released through our parent company blog.

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