Spanish Language Materials and Outreach Assessment

U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)

Targeted Hispanic Research Services

DYADS/TRIADS WITH SPANISH-SPEAKING HISPANIC BUSINESS OWNERS AND ENTREPRENEURS

PARTICIPANT RECRUITMENT SCREENER

As of July 29, 2020

Purpose of the dyads/triads (henceforth referred to as “interviews” in this document):

• To explore how Spanish-speaking Hispanic/Latino business owners and entrepreneurs (the target audience) seek assistance from, and engage with, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).

• To determine what information the target audience is seeking when it reaches out to the SBA.

• To ascertain how well the SBA is providing this target audience with the information and services it needs and identify areas for improvement.

• To identify ways to most effectively facilitate communications between the SBA and this target audience.

Dyad/Triad Segmentation Matrix

Stage in the Business Cycle  U.S. Geographic Region/Markets 	Very Early Start Up (1-2 years in business)	Established and Looking to Expand (growth, exporting, etc.,) (5+ years in business)
California Fresno Los Angeles Sacramento	3 triads (9 total participants) 1 triad per market	3 triads (9 total participants) 1 triad per market
Florida Miami Orlando	2 triads (6 total participants) 1 triad per market	2 triads (6 total participants) 1 triad per market
Texas El Paso Houston	2 dyads (4 total participants) 1 dyad per market	2 dyads (4 total participants) 1 dyad per market
Southwest (AZ, NM, NV) Las Vegas, NV Tucson, AZ	2 dyads (4 total participants) 1 dyad per market	2 dyads (4 total participants) 1 dyad per market
Midwest/Mountain West (e.g., Chicago) Chicago, IL Denver/Aurora, CO	2 dyads (4 total participants) 1 dyad per market	2 dyads (4 total participants) 1 dyad per market
Northeast (e.g., NY, NJ, CT, RI, MA) Hartford, CT New York City, NY	2 dyads (4 total participants) 1 dyad per market	2 dyads (4 total participants) 1 dyad per market
Puerto Rico San Juan	2 dyads (4 total participants) 2 dyads per market	2 dyads (4 total participants) 2 dyads per market
Mid-Atlantic Baltimore, MD Washington, DC	2 dyads (4 total participants) 1 dyad per market	2 dyads (4 total participants) 1 dyad per market

Definitions: Triad=3 interviewees scheduled in one interview; Dyad=2 interviewees scheduled in one interview.

SCREENER QUESTIONNAIRE

NOTE: THIS ENTIRE SCREENER QUESTIONNAIRE WILL BE ADMINISTERED IN SPANISH.

Hi, my name is XXXX, and I am contacting you on behalf of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). SBA is sponsoring a study of Spanish-speaking small business owners, and my company, The Hannon Group, has been hired to conduct the study.

We are seeking Spanish-speaking Hispanic/Latino small business owners and entrepreneurs who have requested assistance from the Small Business Administration (SBA) to participate in a 45-minute interview. While the SBA supports all small businesses, the purpose of these interviews is to understand how the Small Business Administration (SBA) can best support Spanish-speaking business owners and entrepreneurs. Each interview will be confidential (only first names will be used, no last names) and include two or three total Spanish-speaking business owners and one interviewer.

Before we set up a date/time for an interview, we want to be certain that your background reflects our research needs. Because we are aiming to speak with individuals representing a variety of backgrounds, not everyone who expresses interest in participating in an interview will be able to participate.

The purpose of these questions is also to summarize the demographic characteristics of all of our interviewees for our report. It is important for me to reiterate again that all of this information will be kept strictly confidential and will never be attached to any individual interviewee’s name. All of the information that we collect will be reported in summary form. And please know that your answers to these questions is voluntary and your participation in an interview, if you are selected to participate, will also be voluntary.

1. With respect to fluency in Spanish, are you…?

1. Fluent (e.g., native speaker / Spanish is first language/mother tongue, learned in school)

2. Proficient [Thank and Terminate]

3. Beginner [Thank and Terminate]

4. Non-Spanish speaker [Thank and Terminate]

2. Do you prefer to read books, newspapers, magazines, websites, and social media; watch movies and television/news shows; and listen to the radio in …?

   1. Spanish

   2. English [Thank and Terminate]

   3. Equally in Spanish and English [Thank and Terminate]

   4. No preference [Thank and Terminate]

3. Are you a small business owner or entrepreneur?

[A small business is defined as a maximum of 250 employees or a maximum of 1,500 employees, depending on the industry [maximum of $750,000 or $38.5 million in average annual receipts, depending on the industry]. The small business is for-profit, independently owned and operated, and physically located and operated in the U.S. or its territories.]

1. Yes

2. No [Thank and Terminate)

4. What is your professional title (role) at your small business_________________________? [SPECIFY] (e.g., owner, co-owner, President, CEO or similar owner-equivalent title) [PARTICIPANT MUST BE AN OWNER OR CO-OWNER.]

5. In what industry is your small business? [RECRUIT A MIX]

   1. Agriculture

   2. Childcare

   3. Communications/public relations/marketing

   4. Computer/Information Technology

   5. Consulting

   6. Construction

   7. Education

   8. Finance and insurance

   9. Health care and social assistance

   10. Hospitality/hotels/food and beverage/restaurants/catering/food services

   11. Information

   12. Insurance

   13. Janitorial/cleaning

   14. Manufacturing

   15. Mining

   16. Professional, scientific, and technical Services

   17. Real estate, rental, and leasing

   18. Retail trade

   19. Transportation and warehousing

   20. Utilities

   21. Wholesale trade

   22. Other________________________ [SPECIFY]

6. How many employees does your small business have, including you? _____ [count all individuals employed on a full-time, part-time, or other basis.]

7. How long has your small business been in operation? [If multiple businesses, ask the respondent to select the business they spend the most time on – this applies to all relevant questions.]

1. Less than 1 year (very early start-up)

2. 1 – 2 years (very early start-up)

3. 3 – 4 years [Thank and Terminate]

4. 5 – 9 years (established/looking to expand)

5. 10 – 19 years (established/looking to expand)

6. 20 years or longer (established/looking to expand) [Thank and Terminate]

8. Before today, had you ever contacted the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)?

[IF NEEDED: Created in 1953, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) provides small businesses with counseling, access to capital, and contracting assistance or support. The SBA helps small businesses start, grow, expand, or recover.]

1. Yes

2. No [Thank and Terminate]

9. Were you aware of the SBA before the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, which occurred in the first several months of 2020?

   1. Yes

   2. No [Thank and Terminate]

10. When did you first contact the SBA?

    1. Less than one year ago

    2. 1 – 2 years ago

    3. 3 – 5 years ago

    4. 6 – 9 years ago

    5. 10 – 19 years ago

    6. 20 years or longer [Thank and Terminate]

    7. Don’t know/don’t remember

11. When was your last (most recent) contact with the SBA? [Note: We will aim to recruit the majority of participants for each market who fall in options a, b, or c.]

    1. Less than one year ago

    2. 1 – 2 years ago

    3. 3 – 5 years ago

    4. 6 – 9 years ago

    5. 10 years or longer [Thank and Terminate]

    6. Don’t know/don’t remember

12. Do you remember which SBA Office(s) you worked with in your last (most recent) contact? If yes, what is the name of that SBA Office?

    1. Yes_________________________________ [SPECIFY] [GO TO 13a.]

    2. Don’t know/don’t remember

12a. In what city/state is that SBA Office located?

_____________________________________

13. Thinking about where your business is headquartered, in what state/region of the United States is your business based? [RECRUIT THE NUMBER OF DYADS/TRIADS FROM EACH STATE/REGION REFLECTED IN THE SEGMENTATION MATRIX.]

(“business stage grouping” = very early start-up vs. established/looking to expand)

Document city, state of respondent’s business: _____________________________________________

1. California (3 TRIADS PER BUSINESS STAGE GROUPING)

   1. Fresno (1 TRIAD PER BUSINESS STAGE GROUPING)

   2. Los Angeles (1 TRIAD PER BUSINESS STAGE GROUPING)

   3. Sacramento (1 TRIAD PER BUSINESS STAGE GROUPING)

2. Florida (2 TRIADS PER BUSINESS STAGE GROUPING)

   1. Miami (1 TRIAD PER BUSINESS STAGE GROUPING)

   2. Orlando (1 TRIAD PER BUSINESS STAGE GROUPING)

3. The Midwest/Mountain West (e.g., Chicago) (2 DYADS PER BUSINESS STAGE GROUPING)

   1. Chicago, IL (1 DYAD PER BUSINESS STAGE GROUPING)

   2. Denver/Aurora, CO (1 DYAD PER BUSINESS STAGE GROUPING)

4. The Northeast/New England (e.g., NY, NJ, CT, RI, MA) (2 DYADS PER BUSINESS STAGE GROUPING)

   1. Hartford, CT (1 DYAD PER BUSINESS STAGE GROUPING)

   2. New York City, NY (1 DYAD PER BUSINESS STAGE GROUPING)

5. Puerto Rico (2 DYADS PER BUSINESS STAGE GROUPING)

   1. San Juan, PR (2 DYADS PER BUSINESS STAGE GROUPING)

6. The Southwest (e.g., AZ, NV, NM) (2 DYADS PER BUSINESS STAGE GROUPING)

   1. Las Vegas, NV (1 DYAD PER BUSINESS STAGE GROUPING)

   2. Tucson, AZ (1 DYAD PER BUSINESS STAGE GROUPING)

7. Texas (2 DYADS PER BUSINESS STAGE GROUPING)

   1. El Paso (1 DYAD PER BUSINESS STAGE GROUPING)

   2. Houston (1 DYAD PER BUSINESS STAGE GROUPING)

8. Mid-Atlantic (2 DYADS PER BUSINESS STAGE GROUPING)

   1. Baltimore, MD (1 DYAD PER BUSINESS STAGE GROUPING)

   2. Washington, DC (1 DYAD PER BUSINESS STAGE GROUPING)

14. Which of the following categories best describes your age…? [AIM TO RECRUIT A MIX OF 18–44 (“younger entrepreneurs”) / 45+ (“older entrepreneurs”) FOR EACH INTERVIEW]

    1. 18 – 24 years old

    2. 25 – 29 years old

    3. 30 – 34 years old

    4. 35 – 39 years old

    5. 40 – 44 years old

    6. 45 – 49 years old

    7. 50 – 54 years old

    8. 55 – 59 years old

    9. 60 – 64 years old

    10. 65 years of age or older

15. Which of the following best describes your gender…? [AIM TO RECRUIT A MIX FOR EACH INTERVIEW]

    1. Female

    2. Male

    3. I self-identify as: ______________________ (SPECIFY)

16. Which of these best describes your ethnicity (choose one)?

1. Hispanic or Latino

2. Not Hispanic or Latino [Thank and Terminate]

17. What is your/your family’s country of origin or heritage? [DOCUMENT ALL THAT APPLY] [AIM TO RECRUIT A MIX]

1. Mexico

2. Puerto Rico

3. Cuba

4. Argentina

5. Bolivia

6. Chile

7. Colombia

8. Costa Rica

9. The Dominican Republic

10. Ecuador

11. El Salvador

12. Guatemala

13. Honduras

14. Nicaragua

15. Panama

16. Paraguay

17. Peru

18. Spain

19. Uruguay

20. Venezuela

21. United States

22. Other_________________[SPECIFY]

Thank you very much for taking the time to answer these questions.

[IF ELIGIBLE] You are eligible to participate in an interview. We would like to invite you to participate in an interview on [Date/Time]. The interview will be conducted via the web-enabled platform GoToMeeting (or telephone only, if you prefer). Your interview will include you and up to two other participants (there will be one interviewer). To thank you and in appreciation for your time for your participation in this interview, you will receive $75 via an electronic payment. How would you like us to send you the call-in information?

Name: ___________________________________________

Telephone number: ________________________________

Email: ___________________________________________

We will call/text you the day before your interview to remind you of your interview date/time. Please call into the interview at least 5 minutes before the start time to make sure no one has any technical issues calling in and that we can start on time.

SBA is required to obtain approval from OMB before conducting the interview; approval has been obtained under OMB Approval number 3245-0398. You may submit comments on the estimated 45 minutes to participate or other aspects of the interview to Victor Sierra at [email protected] and SBA Desk Officer, Office of Management and Budget, New Executive Office Building, Washington, DC 20503

[SCHEDULE INTERVIEW AND SEND INTERVIEW PARTICIPANTS THEIR CALL-IN INFORMATION.]

[IF NOT ELIGIBLE] We are looking to recruit a wide variety of Spanish-speaking small business owners to help with this study, and we have already recruited enough people with backgrounds similar to yours. Again, thank you for your interest.

SBA–Hispanic Business Owner/Entrepreneur Dyad/Triad Participant Recruitment Screener, July 29, 2020