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UPPER MERION — There’s still time to get your nominations in for the 2019 National Small Business Week Awards. Due to the federal government shutdown, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has extended the deadline to Feb. 4 at 3 p.m. Since 1963, National Small Business Week has recognized the outstanding achievements of America’s small businesses for their contributions to their local communities, and to the nation’s economy, a press release noted. “A National Small Business Week award is one of the nation’s highest honors for small business achievement,” noted Rob Goza, SBA public information officer. Awards include Small Business Person of the Year (one from each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam); Small Business Exporter of the Year; Phoenix Award for Small Business Disaster Recovery; Phoenix Award for Outstanding Contributions to Disaster Recovery; Small Business Prime Contractor of the Year; Small Business Subco

STATEWIDE –Due to the federal government shutdown, the U.S. Small Business Administration has extended the deadline for the 2019 National Small Business Week Awards nominations. Now, all Colorado nominations must be submitted no later than 3 p.m. EST, February 4. Since 1963, National Small Business Week has recognized the outstanding achievements of America’s small businesses for their contributions to their local communities, and to our nation’s economy. A National Small Business Week award is one of the nation’s highest honors for small business achievement. SBA Awards given in celebration of National Small Business Week, May 5-11, include the following: Small Business Person of the Year One from each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam. Small Business Exporter of the Year Phoenix Awards for Disaster Recovery Phoenix Award for Small Business Disaster Recovery Phoenix Award for Outstanding Contributions to Disaster Recove

LOS ANGELES — Federal officials on Thursday said residents in Los Angeles, Ventura and Butte counties who suffered damages from the Woolsey, Hill or Camp wildfires have 15 more days to register for aid. The Federal Emergency Management Agency extended the Jan. 31 deadline to Feb. 15. Victims of the Los Angeles County and Ventura County fires, which torched more than 100,000 acres and destroyed thousands of structures, may be eligible for grants, rental assistance or help with home repairs. Residents can apply to receive FEMA aid online or at Disaster Recovery Centers in Malibu and Agoura Hills. The federal grants do not have to be repaid, and assistance is not taxable and does not affect eligibility for benefits such as Social Security and Medicaid, according to FEMA. Applicants should be ready to provide their Social Security number, the address of the damaged home, a description of the damage, their bank account and routing numbers and information about insura

As women-owned businesses continue to grow , one of the significant obstacles they face is unequal access to funding and venture capital. While most people seek business loans, small business grants provide the capital needed to start or grow a business. Also, grants do not need to be paid back as long as the requirements and obligations are met. The following small business grants for black women entrepreneurs provides them with the capital to take their startup or established business to the next level. 5 Small Business Grants for Black Entrepreneur Women in 2019 Cartier Women’s Initiative Award Industry: Any Grant Amount: $100,000 and $30,000 Cartier Women’s Initiative Award is an annual business grant for early phase (1 to 3 years) for-profit, women-led businesses. Women must have a significant stake in the business in the role of director, general manager, or CEO. The first place winning package awards seven women entrepreneurs with $100,000 in prize money and one-on-one

The Internet has made a lot of things possible for everyone. It can be called as a great equalizer as it has leveled the field for business. Anyone who’s interested in starting a small business in the comfort of their home can do so, as long as they have a computer, an internet connection, and the correct strategy. Here’s a list of Journal Review ideas for home business setup you can start right now. Drop shipping Drop shipping isn’t as scary as it sounds. The Dropship method is a retailing technique wherein the seller doesn’t store the inventory but instead orders it from a manufacturer once a customer orders. To start this business, you have to create a website. There’s a lot of online services that offer quick online store set-up, or you can list your item on eBay or Etsy. If a customer orders, you place their order with the supplier, and they handle packaging and shipping. Here are some other benefits of drop shipping: Low startup cost – Signing up on eBay and Etsy is free

Photo by Audrey Caro Karen Mahoney, above with one of her kilns, launched Moving Clay on Small Business Saturday. Bottom left, pieces from Mahoney’s personal collection. Right, a sampling of Moving Clay’s projects. INDEPENDENCE — There probably isn’t one mass-produced plate or mug in Karen Mahoney’s kitchen. Each earth-toned piece bears the marks of its creator — none quite matching, but individually beautiful, and somehow coordinated. Mahoney started working with clay 14 years ago, and has made or traded most of those items she uses daily. “I took a ceramics class for an art credit and I fell in love with it,” she said. Now she shares that love of ceramics with students at Dallas Community School and through Moving Clay, her mobile ceramics business. “It’s been a plan in the works since the spring, but it took a bit longer to roll out all the behind-the-scenes stuff,” Mahoney said. There are several projects on movingclay.com for people to choose from. The cost depe

By Ryan Clark NKyTribune For Katie Meyer, it was something akin to a victory lap. Meyer, who in December announced she would be stepping down after nine years from her position as Executive Director of Renaissance Covington to work for Cincinnati Bell, made her last presentation to the city’s Board of Commissioners at their regularly scheduled legislative meeting Tuesday night. The city provides about $130,000 to the nonprofit organization that prides itself on improving downtown socially and economically, and as part of that deal, the Executive Director is supposed to deliver an annual update on projects and goals. As a new Executive Director is currently being recruited, Meyer presented on an interim basis. Over the past month, 13 applicants applied for the position, with five meeting the criteria, reported Rebekah Gensler, board president. Two finalists have been named, and will continue their interviews in the second week of February. Renaissance Covington officials hope a n

The Internet has made a lot of things possible for everyone. It can be called as a great equalizer as it has leveled the field for business. Anyone who’s interested in starting a small business in the comfort of their home can do so, as long as they have a computer, an internet connection, and the correct strategy. Here’s a list of Journal Review ideas for home business setup you can start right now. Drop shipping Drop shipping isn’t as scary as it sounds. The Dropship method is a retailing technique wherein the seller doesn’t store the inventory but instead orders it from a manufacturer once a customer orders. To start this business, you have to create a website. There’s a lot of online services that offer quick online store set-up, or you can list your item on eBay or Etsy. If a customer orders, you place their order with the supplier, and they handle packaging and shipping. Here are some other benefits of drop shipping: Low startup cost – Signing up on eBay and Etsy is free

A different kind of small-business-focused bank is about to emerge and these newcomers will look very different than current lenders in this sector. They will provide best-in-class services, no longer treating small businesses as poor cousins within large consumer lending divisions. And some will target a single niche, tailoring their services to a specific type of business. Innovations in fintech, driven by big data and artificial intelligence, are converging to create a new world for small businesses. Now all of their financial services can be interconnected, predictive, intuitive and readily available. And business owners can focus on what they do best — running the business, rather than trying to be their own financial adviser, payroll clerk, loan officer and more. This is a world where Alex, a local coffee shop owner, will be able to pull up her small-business dashboard on an iPad. She’ll look at a graph in the upper right corner showing her predicted cash position at the end of

CARSON CITY, Nev. (KOLO) Two weeks ago in his State-of-the-State Address, new Governor Steve Sisolak gave a shout out to small businesses in Nevada. “As governor I will work to make it easier for our small businesses to thrive by streamlining complicated processes, eliminating red tape and needless regulations, and putting a Small Business Advocate in the Office off the Lieutenant Governor,” said Governor Sisolak. Kate Marshall is the state's newly-elected Lieutenant Governor. She says this is a perfect fit for the office that is designed to encourage and foster economic growth in our state. “How do they deal with the state agencies? What if they are having a problem getting a license or a certification? Or what if taxation sends them a letter and they don't know what to do? So they can call us and we will help them navigate through that,” says Marshall. Marshall says such an office exists in other states. The Small Business Advocate Office will need approval by state

Despite some economic wins over the last year or so, Americans may not have the strongest confidence the government. A recent shutdown and rising interest rates have taken their toll on American pocketbooks and confidence. The government shutdown resulted in about 800,000 government employees being furloughed, agencies such as the IRS and SBA mostly shutting down, and important services such as eVerify going out of business. This showed small business owners just how much the government can affect their bottom line and daily operations. In light of these recent events, Nav surveyed 120 small business owners to get their opinion on the possibility of an impending recession. Here’s what we found. Nav’s Small Business Recession Survey Data Majority believe the U.S. economy is headed for a recession. Of those surveyed 70.3% believe the country is headed for a recession. 48% think a recession will hit within six months to one year. 19% believe there will be a recession in 2020. 17

rawpixel / Pixabay The New Year is here and with it a time to reflect on career goals. Aspiring entrepreneurs who are considering starting a small business in 2019 may find encouragement in new survey results from Kabbage. After polling 600 thriving U.S. small business owners, the survey found that the majority of successful entrepreneurs got started with little cash and short run rates. The survey also demystifies the cash flow obstacles many aspiring entrepreneurs may perceive as reasons to not start a business, when in fact they’re all too common. These are three myths aspiring entrepreneurs should know when starting and building their company. Myth #1: You Need a Lot of Money to Start. One of the biggest perceived barriers to starting a company is the amount of capital required. In reality, many successful entrepreneurs get started with surprisingly small amounts of money. According to new data, 58 percent of small businesses started with less than $25,000 and one-third of

An article in this space a couple of weeks ago highlighted the many services your library offers to small businesses.  Now let’s take a deeper dive into those services. Especially of note is a series of programs aimed at those either wanting to start a business or gain a sharper understanding of business loans or marketing strategies. The series Business Essentials is an offering of monthly programs at several library locations from January through November. The series is sponsored and presented by business counselors from The Center for Economic Empowerment and Development (CEED).  CEED is a long-time player locally in offering assistance to small business owners and has been a library partner for many years. Is this the year you say to yourself, “Time to stop dreaming and start doing?” In that case, this upcoming series with CEED, Business Essentials, will give you the incentive and information you need to turn that small business dream into the reality. The upcoming February p

Vice President of Nigeria, Professor Yemi Osinbajo has explained why the federal government initiated the entrepreneur bank bill. Mr Osinbajo who disclosed this while fielding questions from a cross-section of women traders at a programme tagged ` Next Level Conversation’ in Abuja yesterday said that the federal government decided to establish an Entrepreneur Bank to provide flexibility in the provision of facilities to businesses. The women, who were mostly entrepreneurs, were drawn from the education, environment, agriculture, real estate, hospitality among other sectors. The vice president said the issue of giving cheap loans to small businesses had featured prominently in the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration. “ We have been able to deal with some extent with small and micro businesses; we have TraderMoni, MarketMoni, FarmerMoni; which are basically very small credit schemes.“We are also looking at an Enterprise Bank or an Entrepreneur Bank which is one of the ty

China's push to encourage lending to smaller companies has created a business opportunity for large financial technology companies. As Beijing struggles to balance a crackdown on high debt levels with maintaining growth, President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang have both publicly announced support for privately-run companies. The central bank has also freed up cash for lending in recent months, and eased rules to help small businesses obtain funds more easily. Still, the business environment — particularly in financing — still favors state-owned companies, despite the fact that the private sector contributes to the majority of job creation and economic growth in the country. But there's money to be made for those willing to lend to smaller businesses, particularly if some of the risks can be mitigated. According to Tencent-backed online lender WeBank, roughly 80 percent of the nearly 90 million small and micro-sized enterprises in China don't have a credit with a

Several southern members of Congress have challenged a proposed Small Business Administration (SBA) rule that would deny many family-owned poultry producers access to SBA-sponsored financing. However, Sens. Chuck Grassley (R., Iowa) and Jon Tester (D., Mont.) wrote to SBA administrator Linda McMahon in support of the proposed regulation, which would limit financing to larger operations. In 2018, the SBA Office of Inspector General (OIG) evaluated the integrity of SBA 7(a) loans made to poultry farmers in response to allegations that the loans were essentially subsidizing large poultry companies. The investigation found that some small poultry producers have little to no independence from large poultry companies.  Related: Poultry producers seek changes to SBA loan proposal Grassley and Tester said the proposed regulation would correct a loophole that large poultry companies are exploiting aimed at providing loans to small poultry growers who may not have otherwise been able to obt

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. — One tool government agencies can use to nurture innovation is the Small Business Innovation Research grant, but is it a bold enough tool for the Pentagon? Participants at a Defense News-hosted roundtable in December said no. The investment research program, which is run by the Small Business Administration, requires federal agencies set aside a certain percentage of their of research and development funds for outside researchers with small firms. SBIR offers three tiers of R&D funding for new technologies, of $150,000 or less at Phase I, which lasts about six months; up to $1 million at Phase II, or about two years; Phase III funding tests the commerciality of the technology and solicits funding from the private sector. To Trae Stephens, a partner at the Silicon Valley venture capital firm Founders Fund and the chairman of tech company Anduril Industries, the Pentagon would be better off making a few big bets instead of many smaller inves

ASSOCIATED PRESS Here are five things in technology that happened this past week and how they affect your business. Did you miss them? 1 — Google raises G Suite prices: basic to $6 a month per user, business to $12 a month. G Suite, Google’s competition for Microsoft Office 365, will soon cost more.  Google announced that it will raise the price of both the G Suite Basic and G Suite Business productivity suites for the first time ever. G Suite Basic will go up from $5 per user per month to $6, and G Suite Business will go from $10 to $12. Microsoft’s small business–oriented product Office 365 Business Essentials is still $5 per user a month with an annual commitment, and Office 365 Business Premium is $12.50 a month with the same terms. (Source: ZDNet ) Why this is important for your business: As I wrote previously here , when cloud companies like Netflix (and yes, they’re a cloud provider) and Google start raising prices it raises a significant concern from my clients abou

Do you own a small business? If so, you are a favorite target of the Internet bad guys. Have you and your employees been trained in how to protect your computer systems from Internet criminals? The basics of protecting small business computers are the same as protecting large business computers. There are some specifics that will apply only to small businesses, and vice versa, but the basics are the same. Indeed, they are the same as for personal home computers, too. Learn the basics, first. Much of dealing with computer and Internet security and safety has to do with attitude. Many small business owners get in trouble because they don't take the subject seriously. Oftentimes, they think they are too busy to deal with it, and so, they don't. Some think because they have never had a problem before, therefore, they will never have problems in the future. I wonder if they feel the same way about homeowners insurance. They've never had their house burn down before, so, why

As the longest federal shutdown in history dragged on, prior to a deal Jan. 25 that reopened shuttered departments for three weeks, small businesses seeking out government-backed loans through the U.S. Small Business Administration's flagship 7(a) and 504 loan programs were left in the lurch. That's caused struggles for would-be borrowers. Some lenders — who spoke with Crain's on background because of the political nature of the shutdown — said that in worst-case scenarios, it may lead to some businesses eventually failing altogether. One banker referenced a seasonal apparel company seeking an SBA loan to ultimately help it build up inventory for the spring season. "If you're selling a product retail and you can't obtain that inventory, then you effectively don't have a business," the banker said. "If they don't get access to capital and can't purchase in the right time frame, they're going to miss their season. There is a chance

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Government offices and programs are finally, and slowly, going through the process of reopening following the longest government shutdown in United States history. President Trump signed legislation providing funding for three weeks, but it does not include the president's request for $5.7 billion for a border wall. The president says he could still declare a national emergency, bypassing congress to build the wall. Meanwhile, 800,000 federal employees will return to work after missing two paychecks. Among the workers impacted by the partial government shutdown were TSA agents. The agency reported an increase in sickouts over the 35-day shutdown, as many workers could not afford to go to work without pay. LaShanda Palmer has been a TSA officer since 2002. She is a mom of five and has been through government shutdowns before. The latest one has been the hardest, because it's the first that caused missed paychecks. Since December 22nd, she as an ess