Empowering businesses through digital visibility.

As COVID-19 increasingly shifted the world online, businesses that had traditionally relied on word of mouth and in-person relationships had to find new ways to reach customers. For many small businesses, especially those that had built their success through traditional methods, having a strong online presence became more important than ever.

One of our founders, Doreen, experienced this firsthand through her family’s Chinese restaurant. The restaurant had always relied heavily on word of mouth and returning customers, but during and after the pandemic, those methods were no longer enough. Wanting to help her family reach more customers, Doreen rebuilt the restaurant’s outdated website using Google Sites and taught herself Google Analytics through YouTube. Through this experience, she saw how much a stronger online presence could help a small business, and how difficult it could be for business owners to build one on their own.

She brought the idea to the rest of our team, and the four of us began developing it together. As students of color from different cultural backgrounds, we shared an interest in helping small businesses that play an important role in our communities. We combined our interests in technology, design, entrepreneurship, and community impact to create Visions to Visibility.

Today, we help immigrant-owned small businesses strengthen their digital presence through website development, Google Business optimization, social media, branding, and digital marketing. We want to make these tools more accessible to businesses that may not otherwise have the time, resources, or expertise to navigate them on their own.

We believe that a business should not be overlooked simply because it has not had the opportunity to build a strong online presence.