Even before Covid-19, it was hard for some women entrepreneurs to make time for long-term strategic thinking about the growth of their companies. Time—especially for women with school-aged children—became an even more precious commodity during the pandemic. As entrepreneurs learn to manage their businesses in the era of Covid-19, it is critical to reorient ourselves to future possibilities in an age of uncertainty. Read more ……
On September 7, the SBA issued two policy notices offering details on its plan to waive certain borrower fees on 7(a) loans of $350,000 or less and reduce fees on 504 loans, even after Thursday. In light of the continued difficult position in which many businesses — particularly in-person operations — still find themselves, the agency is opting for an extension of the fee waiver. Read more ……
With a worker shortage continuing alongside the seemingly endless pandemic, you might think small businesses are struggling. For the most part, they are, says a new QuickBooks report on small businesses. The newly released analysis points to how small businesses are grappling with pandemic recoveries, including responding to a shortage of materials and workers. Read more ……
In order for any business to thrive, it needs to have a productive leader and team. However, productivity means a lot more than simply keeping busy. Sometimes, you can keep yourself busy working on tasks that essentially amount to nothing and lead you down a dead-end path of wasted time and energy. Read more ……
The COVID-19 pandemic changed the business landscape in a matter of weeks. Both inside and outside of the workplace, obstacles and challenges quickly surrounded even the most successful organizations. The changes forced every leader to radically rethink how they defined risk and resiliency. Read more ……
When it comes to reputation, DEI has become a C-suite priority that risk management professionals, human resources, legal counsel, and leadership at all levels of an organization must support. Beyond ethical and moral considerations, research shows that there are compelling business reasons to pursue DEI. Read more ……
I recently attended IMA’s annual conference, ACE2021. One of the hot discussion topics was robotic-process automation (RPA). The technology itself isn’t new — let’s face it, we’ve all dealt with chatbots —but now RPA is more streamlined and in a price range that small businesses can afford. Read more ……
Ahead of Hispanic Heritage Month, Apple announced a $30 million commitment toward programs advancing racial equity in the US. The investment is set to support new initiatives through the tech giant’s Racial Equity and Justice Initiative, which was established in January with an initial $100 million investment. In this latest commitment, there is a special focus on advancing education and career-development opportunities for Hispanic people. Read more ……
In an unpredictable world, many things can occur that were not planned, such as natural disasters, ransomware attacks, power outages, and many more. Many businesses have faced disasters or unplanned events and have come to realize their company’s Business Continuity Plan (BCP) and Disaster Recovery (DR) are not as effective as they need. Read more ……
September is National Preparedness Month. With the height of hurricane season fast approaching and the ongoing threat of wildfires in some parts of the country, the Internal Revenue Service reminds everyone to develop an emergency preparedness plan. All taxpayers, from individuals to organizations and businesses, should take time now to create or update their emergency plans. Read more ……
