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Small business owners are optimistic for growth in 2024
Read full article: Small business owners are optimistic for growth in 2024While it seems increasingly unlikely the U.S. economy is headed for recession, small businesses still face headwinds like higher costs and difficulty retaining qualified workers.
‘We need help’: Att. Gen. calls on businesses to help fight human trafficking
Read full article: ‘We need help’: Att. Gen. calls on businesses to help fight human traffickingVirginia Attorney General Jason Miyares believes local businesses can be part of the solution to addressing human trafficking in the Commonwealth.
Celebrating National Black Business Month: How organizations in our region show their support
Read full article: Celebrating National Black Business Month: How organizations in our region show their supportAugust is recognized as National Black Business Month, a time to celebrate and support locally-owned businesses by people of color.
Small businesses face slow, difficult recovery after Ida
Read full article: Small businesses face slow, difficult recovery after IdaSmall businesses are struggling in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, facing days or weeks without power and Internet, storm damage and difficulty communicating with clients or customers.
Skateboarding, sport climbing’s Olympic debuts may boost business in Lynchburg
Read full article: Skateboarding, sport climbing’s Olympic debuts may boost business in LynchburgFour sports are making their Olympic debut in Tokyo: skateboarding, sport climbing, karate, and surfing. Business owners in Lynchburg are hopeful that the games bring attention to those sports.
Town of Altavista launches new app to promote downtown district during COVID-19
Read full article: Town of Altavista launches new app to promote downtown district during COVID-19“Believe it or not, there’s still a lot of people that don’t know there’s a bike shop in Altavista,” said Pate. The Town of Altavista is launching the Distrx mobile app to bring attention to their downtown district. Jessica McKay, manager of Main Street Café and Coffee, believes this is another way to connect with consumers during COVID. Sandridge added any Main Street community across the country can set up the Distrx app, that way visitors receive notifications instantly. “So, if you’re living in Florida, but you visit here in Altavista; if you have the app, you’re going to get a notification the moment you come into the downtown district,” said Sandridge.
Lynchburg business owners have more time to apply for local CARES Act grant
Read full article: Lynchburg business owners have more time to apply for local CARES Act grantLYNCHBURG, Va. – Lynchburg business owners have more time to apply for a local CARES Act grant. The City of Lynchburg extended its deadline to Oct. 30. You could receive a grant up to $20,000 as long as your business has at least one employee. The city council allocated four million dollars to the program. So far, 250 businesses have applied.
Survey: US companies cut back sharply on hiring in July
Read full article: Survey: US companies cut back sharply on hiring in JulyU.S. businesses sharply reduced hiring last month suggesting that the resurgent viral outbreak this summer slowed the economic recovery as many states closed parts of their economies again and consumers remained cautious about spending. U.S. firms added just 167,000 jobs in July, payroll processor ADP said Wednesday, far below June's gain of 4.3 million and May's increase of 3.3 million. July's limited hiring means the economy still has 13 million fewer jobs than it did in February, according to ADP, before the viral outbreak intensified. Hiring collapsed among companies of all sizes and in nearly all industries. A category that mostly includes restaurants, bars and hotels added just 38,000 jobs last month, after gaining more than 3 million in May and June.
Q&A: The nuts and bolts of the Paycheck Protection Program
Read full article: Q&A: The nuts and bolts of the Paycheck Protection Program(AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)NEW YORK Small businesses can still get help from the governments coronavirus relief plan after Congress extended the Paycheck Protection Program until Aug. 8. The program that was set to expire Tuesday still has nearly $132 billion left after giving out more than 4.8 million loans since it began April 3. On Monday, the Small Business Administration, which oversees the program, disclosed the names of companies that received loans of more than $150,000. The program aims to motivate small businesses to retain their employees or, if they have laid them off, get them back to work. The SBA approved more than 4.8 million loans in less than three months, far more than the 58,000 it approved in 2019.