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California small businesses confront rising inflation, wages
For Vivian Bowers, owner of a South Los Angeles dry cleaner, inflation hit home when her wholesale cost for hangers soared by 48{3e92bdb61ecc35f2999ee2a63f1e687c788772421b16b0136989bbb6b4e89b73} in six months. Tom Bock, who runs an electric bike dealership in Huntington Beach, has had to pay his workers 25{3e92bdb61ecc35f2999ee2a63f1e687c788772421b16b0136989bbb6b4e89b73} more, on top of a boost in commissions. Hagop Berberian, owner of an auto repair shop in Inglewood, is afraid to fully pass on the escalating cost of tires, motor oil and Freon. “Either you keep the customer happy or you lose the customer,” he said. Skyrocketing inflation is slamming many of California’s 1.6 million small businesses, which employ more than half the state’s workforce. Supply…
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Microsoft Teams Essentials is a new standalone version for small businesses
Microsoft is creating its first standalone version of Microsoft Teams for small businesses. Microsoft Teams Essentials will be priced at $4 per user per month and provide access to the core meeting features of Teams without the typical Office app bundling that requires a more expensive Microsoft 365 plan. This standalone version makes Teams even more of a Zoom competitor, as Microsoft is dropping its Slack-like channels functionality in favor of a more simplified chat interface and a focus on meetings and video calls. “It’s the first standalone offering of Microsoft Teams designed specifically with small businesses in mind,” explains Jared Spataro, head of Microsoft 365. “It brings together features…
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7 businesses to support online in 2021
After a difficult year for businesses everywhere, shopping at local mom and pop shops is more important now than ever. If you are looking for a reason to shop beyond Black Friday, Small Business Saturday has finally arrived and is the perfect time to show some love to your favorite local stores. Plus, it is a great way to get some gift shopping done ahead of the holidays. To help you make the most of Small Business Saturday, Meaghan Murphy, a lifestyle expert and the editor-in-chief of Woman’s Day, kicked off Hoda & Jenna’s “Ho-Ho-Holiday Shopping” to share seven small businesses across the country to support. Keep reading to shop…
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Pop-up shop showcases local home businesses in Thurmont | WDVM25 & DCW50
THURMONT, Md. (WDVM) — After the rush of Black Friday comes Small Business Saturday and a community in western Maryland is taking a new approach to the shop small movement. NOVA Hand Crafters Guild hosts Annual Art and Craft show in Vienna Pop The Shop is a small business pop-up market hosted by Main Street Thurmont and features local home-based businesses with goods ranging from ornaments and wreaths to from-scratch baked goods. Vickie Grinder, Economic Development Manager for the town, explains that the pop-up shop provides community members to explore new businesses that don’t have a physical storefront. She explained that all of the businesses featured in Pop The Shop…
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‘It’s our biggest day of the year:’ Locally-owned businesses hope for higher turnout for Black Friday and Small Business Saturday 2021
Last year, many businesses either had limited sales or did not participate at all due to COVID-19 restrictions. Business owners hope 2021 will be the beginning of a return to normalcy for the holiday season. Black Friday – the Friday after Thanksgiving – has grown in recent years to nearly become a holiday by itself, especially as stores offer bigger and better deals, sometimes spanning late Thursday evening and throughout the day on Friday. Small Business Saturday, this year on Nov. 27, hasn’t yet reached Black Friday status but it’s no less important, according to Alan Haut, North Dakota District director for the U.S. Small Business Administration. In a letter…
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Invent Penn State: Program helping start-up businesses take off
Sydney Gibbard, a Penn State sophomore, can still remember the poster that caught her eye and completely changed the trajectory of her “business.” Walking through her dorm lobby last year, an oversized Invent Penn State sign beckoned her with business help and a chance at a $15,000 grant. Intrigued, Gibbard decided to look into Invent Penn State — a statewide initiative to spur economic development and job creation — and what followed was the establishment of a nonprofit, a board of directors and unprecedented growth. All in one summer. As a high school junior, Gibbard and a friend had started a weeklong summer camp to inspire disadvantaged 8- to 12-year-old…
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