4 tips for stressed-out business owners to maximize productivity.
With a plethora of self-help books, productivity gurus, and a new optimization hack every week, it can be hard to weed out what actually works. Despite this, work optimization and maximizing productivity are essential for a business to ensure that it is getting a sufficient reward for its risk and that resources are well-spent.
So, we’ve compiled a short list of our tried and true tips to maximize productivity.
- Write everything down.
Simple yet effective. Stoic philosopher Seneca said, “We suffer more in imagination than in reality.” This is true today. Many times, simply the reality of having a seemingly innumerable list of ‘to-dos’ swirling in our mind makes us believe it’s all impossible to get done, cortisol levels rise and we are extremely stressed. However, being able to visually see the length and breadth of what needs to be done, in full view, makes it digestible, and we are often surprised at how feasible it actually turns out to be. From here, you can then go on to planning and prioritizing
- Prioritize: Should’s vs Must’s
With the aforementioned ‘to-do’s’, despite being written down, they may still seem insurmountable, as getting a business going is no small feat, and has many moving parts. However, what might be best is to give them levels of priority, and if something is not urgent, you mustn’t even consider it at all. At least not in the immediate moment. This will actually create a forward momentum instead of having a slew of ‘half-completed’ tasks.
- Work Sprints
You’ve already heard the phrase ‘Work smart, not hard.’ This is especially true for small business owners who say they’ll work on the business all day every day but simply crash, with most of the hours having been spent scrolling on social media or getting into youtube or research rabbit holes. What is most effective is to incorporate work sprints; meaning designated small to medium-length durations, where you have a specific, measurable task and solely work on it without your phone, unnecessary tabs, and other distractions. This will bring out greater rewards on your time than the previous method. You can incorporate a few of these in your day, and watch that to-do list disappear.
- Delegate, Delegate…and Delegate.
You may not want to hear this, but the problem might be… you. You may be doing too much, so you end up being the bottleneck hindering your overall progress, bogged down by menial and time-squandering tasks. Despite the temptation of every entrepreneur to be apprehensive about hiring or paying anyone to help them, that may be the best way to move forward. Sometimes it takes spending money to earn money, and having someone deal with the less essential tasks, leaves you with more time and mental focus to concentrate on the growth-inducing tasks and decisions you need to execute.
We’re on your team! We hope that these tips will serve you well, and we cannot wait to hear your future (or present) success stories!
The Alliance to Save the American Dream is a non-profit organization dedicated to three core goals.
1. Develop an Ideas Factory to give small businesses and industries a centralized place to share innovative ideas that must be considered.
2. Build a unique Resources portal for small businesses to go to for answers or resources that address a wide range of issues or challenges.
3. Offer a new networking opportunity for small business owners to connect while also giving them a platform to share their own personal stories. For more information, visit savetheamericandream.com.
Small Business Owners are concerned about the future… Here’s what you can do.
The outlook of small business owners (SBO’s) differs based on location, industry, support, and many other factors. SBO’s are concerned about a great many things, but now it seems the #1 concern is… you guessed it, the economy.
CNBC’s Small Business Surveys of over 2,200 small businesses convey current sentiments of small business owners.
From this collection of surveys, 45% of owners are confident about current business and market conditions and more than 40% project revenue increases in the coming year. However, recent changes in the banking system and money markets leave many uncertain. 91% of those surveyed said it was their principal concern while planning and conducting business.
The FED has recently increased interest rates, with SBA (Small Business Administration) prime rates now at 8.25%. This is a huge increase from lower rates below 3% in 2020-2021. Naturally, this makes securing funding from banking institutions quite difficult and risky for some small businesses. The banking insecurity goes even further. With the recent closing of regional banks such as Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank and First Republic, many SBO’s are thinking more intently about their options for securing funding.
Find out more from CNBC here
Here’s what you can do:
To combat these changes some business owners are maximizing on already existing lines of credit, in order to avoid undergoing the approval process again, and receiving the higher rates. Some are also reevaluating growth opportunities previously planned, as those may require even more means of funding, with the possibility of failing to meet future payments.
The markets are always in flux, so do not be discouraged, but be determined. These times only call for resourcefulness and your business is worth fighting for!
The Alliance to Save the American Dream is a non-profit organization dedicated to three core goals.
1. Develop an Ideas Factory to give small businesses and industries a centralized place to share innovative ideas that must be considered.
2. Build a unique Resources portal for small businesses to go to for answers or resources that address a wide range of issues or challenges.
3. Offer a new networking opportunity for small business owners to connect while also giving them a platform to share their own personal stories. For more information, visit savetheamericandream.com.
Applications Open for Restaurant Revitalization Fund
Applications have opened for eligible restaurants that were left starving for business throughout 2020 in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
Registration for the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, the $28.6 billion effort from the Small Business Administration launched Friday, April 30. The fund provides foodservice owners the opportunity to apply for crucial funding following restaurant shutdowns, capacity limits, and staff shortages.
Restaurants, food carts, and food trucks along with bars, bakeries, wineries, and inns will be able to apply for the funding.
“Restaurants are the core of our neighborhoods and propel economic activity on main streets across the nation. They are among the businesses that have been hardest hit and need support to survive this pandemic,” SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman said in a statement Tuesday announcing the application opening. “We want restaurants to know that help is here.”
How to apply:
Owners can access the application via the online application portal which goes live today at noon EST or through the SBA-recognized Point of Sale (POS) vendors.
Applicants will need to have verification for tax information including an IRS Form 4506-T in addition to gross earnings documentation. For more information visit SBA.gov.
Where owners can apply funds:
Restaurant owners can utilize the grants for business payroll costs including sick leave, mortgage payments on the foodservice location, utility payments, and maintenance expenses along with the construction of outdoor seating. Cleaning materials and other operating expenses are also applicable.
The Alliance to Save the American Dream is a non-profit organization dedicated to three core goals.
1. Develop an Ideas Factory to give small businesses and industries a centralized place to share innovative ideas that must be considered.
2. Build a unique Resources portal for small businesses to go to for answers or resources that address a wide range of issues or challenges.
3. Offer a new networking opportunity for small business owners to connect while also giving them a platform to share their own personal stories.
For more information, visit savetheamericandream.com.
NASA Announces 45 Million for Small Business Entrepreneurs
NASA has announced that it will invest more than $45 million in 365 proposals from American small businesses. The agency’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs fund the research, development, and demonstration of innovative technologies.
“These small businesses and research institutions represent the latest wave of innovators working to develop their game-changing concepts for potential infusion in a NASA mission and, ideally, eventual commercialization,” NASA SBIR/STTR program executive Jason L. Kessler told FOX Business via email. “We’re proud to partner with a diverse group of innovators and expand the reach of NASA across the country.”
In an official press release, NASA reiterated that small businesses are crucial to their mission and said that 289 small businesses and 47 research institutions were granted Phase I funding in 2021 — with most being first-time recipients.
“At NASA, we recognize that small businesses are facing unprecedented challenges due to the pandemic,” said Jim Reuter, associate administrator for the agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD). “This year, to get funds into the hands of small businesses sooner, we accelerated the release of the 2021 SBIR/STTR Phase I solicitation by two months. We hope the expedited funding helps provide a near-term boost for future success.”
As a result of the pandemic, NASA moved up the solicitation period to expedite funding, with the goal of providing critical support for entrepreneurs.
“It is our sincere hope that the proposals selected for award develop into products that not only help NASA achieve its ambitious goals but go on to serve as the foundation for businesses that provide jobs and livelihoods throughout the country,” Kessler said.
The selected small businesses come from 38 states, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico. Recipients include the woman-owned and Connecticut-based Symatec Inc., which will develop radiation tolerant, high-voltage, high-power diodes.
Innoveering LLC, a Hispanic American-owned small business based in Ronkonkoma, New York, was also selected to develop a wind sensor to support a flight path control system for high-altitude scientific balloon missions.
“We are excited to have a large cohort of new small businesses join the NASA family via the SBIR/STTR program,” Jim Reuter, associate administrator for the agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD), said in the press release.
The Alliance to Save the American Dream is a non-profit organization dedicated to three core goals.
1. Develop an Ideas Factory to give small businesses and industries a centralized place to share innovative ideas that must be considered.
2. Build a unique Resources portal for small businesses to go to for answers or resources that address a wide range of issues or challenges.
3. Offer a new networking opportunity for small business owners to connect while also giving them a platform to share their own personal stories.
For more information, visit savetheamericandream.com.
SBA Set to Make New Changes
Isabella Casillas Guzman, the new head of the Small Business Administration, is set to make new changes at the agency to further help small businesses and companies.
Since the start of the pandemic in 2020, a devastating 400,000 businesses have closed.
Guzman expects small business provisions in the rescue package to help those still struggling, including $10 billion to support state lending. Another $100 million has been allocated for a new program deemed Community Navigator, which aims to educate and advise struggling business owners.
By using the Community Navigator, SBA will be able to gather information to help it determine what changes need to be made. The program is designed to partner with community financial institutions and SBA-sponsored Small Business Development Centers to assist struggling and disadvantaged businesses.
“That will provide us with a strong feedback loop from small businesses about what their needs are,” Guzman said.
Guzman, the former SBA Deputy Chief of Staff under the Obama administration, said she hopes to implement new programs that spark hope for small businesses.
“We’ll be looking at our overall programs to see a path forward for small businesses,” she told the Associated Press.
Prior to the pandemic, the agency’s main lending platforms were its 7(a) and 504 programs. These loans helped owners start and build their businesses. Such traditional loan programs will potentially see some changes, Guzman said. The 27th administrator’s agenda will also include technological enhancement.
“We just need to ensure that we’ve modernized the SBA,” she said.
The Alliance to Save the American Dream is a non-profit organization dedicated to three core goals.
1. Develop an Ideas Factory to give small businesses and industries a centralized place to share innovative ideas that must be considered.
2. Build a unique Resources portal for small businesses to go to for answers or resources that address a wide range of issues or challenges.
3. Offer a new networking opportunity for small business owners to connect while also giving them a platform to share their own personal stories.
For more information, visit savetheamericandream.com.
Small Businesses Flock to Shopify
A third option for small businesses that focus on e-commerce has emerged. Shopify presents merchants with access to cloud-based third-party services. From payments to fulfillment, merchants have more control of their brand and customer relationships, a key difference between Amazon services.
Shopify’s main offering is a cloud-based service that makes it more simple to build and operate an online store. Its latest offerings include warehousing, fulfillment, and small business loans. Shopify Capital has lent small businesses across the country $1.7 billion since its initial launch.
According to Digital Commerce 360, e-commerce spending grew 44% in 2020 compared to 2019. Contributing to the growth of e-commerce outside of Amazon were smaller retailers paving their own ways to directly reach shoppers.
Shopify, a 14-year-old company, has become one of the largest providers of software and services for merchants who establish their own online stores, with revenue growing by 86% in 2020.
Shopify’s rival, Amazon, forces sellers to give up critical customer data, such as email addresses. Neil Bruce, the head of online for Toolstop, a 56-year-old family-run hardware store and wholesaler based in Glasgow, Scotland, said that his company charges an average fee of 14% for each item’s price that he sells on Amazon.
Unlike Amazon, Shopify strives to level the playing field for small businesses.
“We view our role as leveling the playing fields so that retailers can, rather than rent customers from these platforms, own the relationship with customers,” Shopify President, Harley Finkelstei, said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal.
The Alliance to Save the American Dream is a non-profit organization dedicated to three core goals.
1. Develop an Ideas Factory to give small businesses and industries a centralized place to share innovative ideas that must be considered.
2. Build a unique Resources portal for small businesses to go to for answers or resources that address a wide range of issues or challenges.
3. Offer a new networking opportunity for small business owners to connect while also giving them a platform to share their own personal stories.
For more information, visit savetheamericandream.com.
Governor Cuomo Sets Unrealistic Goal for Independent Theater Owners
On March 5, movie theaters will be permitted to open at 25% with no more than 50 people per screen, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced in a tweet following a press conference.
Despite the news, independent-run entities are discouraged by the short notice from their governor.
“That’s just a total loss of revenue by even opening,” independent theater owner, Harvey Elgart, told the Post.
These operators claim that the reopening plan favors major theater chains that can afford the cost, such as AMC, but hurts small business owners.
Elgart, who owns three theaters in New York City, says that will be an impossible reality for smaller theaters.
“The overhead to run a theater is just tremendous,” he explained. “The utility bills, the electric, the heat. It’s a major cash-flow problem to open with so few people to come. I can actually do better by staying closed than open.”
Meanwhile, fellow indie theater owner, Nick Nicolaou, also told the Post his theaters won’t be able to meet the March 5 date.
“Operating at 25 percent is not going to cover expenses, but it’s going to allow us to reopen and reopen safely,” he said. “To train our staff and follow the guidelines, that takes time.”
The Alliance to Save the American Dream is a non-profit organization dedicated to three core goals.
1. Develop an Ideas Factory to give small businesses and industries a centralized place to share innovative ideas that must be considered.
2. Build a unique Resources portal for small businesses to go to for answers or resources that address a wide range of issues or challenges.
3. Offer a new networking opportunity for small business owners to connect while also giving them a platform to share their own personal stories.
For more information, visit savetheamericandream.com.
President Biden Announces Changes to PPP Loan
President Biden announced several critical changes to the coronavirus-relief program for small businesses across the country on Monday. In an attempt to improve access for small businesses in underserved communities, PPP loan applicants with fewer than 20 employees will be able to apply exclusively from 9 a.m. ET on Wednesday until 5 p.m. ET on March 9.
The changes “will make sure we look out for the mom-and-pop businesses even more than we already have,” Mr. Biden said.
The dedicated window will “give lenders and community partners more time to work with these Main Street businesses that anchor our neighborhoods and help families build wealth, while also ensuring larger PPP-eligible businesses will still have plenty of time over three weeks to apply for and receive support before the program expires,” an official said.
Last December, Congress included $284 billion for the latest round of PPP. As of Feb.21,
less than half those funds were allocated.
In an attempt to guard against fraud, processing delays of loan applications have occurred during the newest PPP round. The Small Business Administration (SBA) has placed flags on up to 240,000 PPP recipients for issues such as clerical errors to signs of misconduct.
The Consumer Bankers Association praised the changes announced on Monday but, urged the SBA to resolve delays.
“This two-week window will not fundamentally alter the roadblocks businesses are facing,” Richard Hunt, the group’s chief executive, said in a statement. “It is like giving everyone a train ticket on an unfinished railroad.”
The SBA has announced that it is working with lenders to resolve the flags.
The Alliance to Save the American Dream is a non-profit organization dedicated to three core goals.
1. Develop an Ideas Factory to give small businesses and industries a centralized place to share innovative ideas that must be considered.
2. Build a unique Resources portal for small businesses to go to for answers or resources that address a wide range of issues or challenges.
3. Offer a new networking opportunity for small business owners to connect while also giving them a platform to share their own personal stories.
For more information, visit savetheamericandream.com.
Veteran-Owned Company Pledges $250,000 for Barstool Fund
Veteran-Owned Company Supports Barstool Fund
The founders of veteran-owned Black Rifle Coffee Company, Evan Hafer and Mat Best, have pledged to donate $250,000 to the Barstool Fund.
The company announced their $150,000 donation on February 8, leading to CEO Hafer’s additional pledge of $100,000.
“Small businesses around the US have been crushed in the last year. Thank you @stoolpresidente for stepping up and showing leadership with the @BarstoolFund. @blckriflecoffee and I are in for $150,000,” Hafer said in a tweet.
Hafer, a former Army infantryman, served in the U.S. Army in both Iraq and Afghanistan. The company’s “who we are” page states that, “we develop our explosive roast profiles with the same mission focus we learned as military members serving this great country and are committed to supporting veterans, law enforcement, and first responders. With every purchase you make, we give back.
Best, a former Army Ranger, added that they take pride in their community leadership role.
“We’re glad to give back,” he said in an interview with Fox News. “We’re not Elon Musk yet, not even close, but we’re always gonna be a leader in the community and do what we can.”
To date, Barstool Fund has raised more than $35 million for small businesses, helping more than 240 small businesses.
The Alliance to Save the American Dream is a non-profit organization dedicated to three core goals.
1. Develop an Ideas Factory to give small businesses and industries a centralized place to share innovative ideas that must be considered.
2. Build a unique Resources portal for small businesses to go to for answers or resources that address a wide range of issues or challenges.
3. Offer a new networking opportunity for small business owners to connect while also giving them a platform to share their own personal stories.
For more information, visit savetheamericandream.com.
