Small

DC business owners hard at work for Small Business Saturday

By Dorothea 7 hours ago

As the nation celebrates Small Business Saturday, D.C. business owners say, for them, the day is a chance for people to support businesses in the community, and not the usual big box stores.

As the nation celebrates Small Business Saturday, D.C. business owners say, for them, the day is a chance for people to support businesses in the community, and not the usual big box stores.

Amaya Smith, co-founder of The Brown Beauty Co-op in Dupont circle, says she’s happy that Small Business Saturday has become a staple of the holidays.

“Everybody thinks of Black Friday and the big box stores, but small businesses really power our economy and it’s great for small business to have a piece of this huge retail opportunity that takes place after Thanksgiving,” she said. “It’s been a critical part of our business success, and I think it’s important in general.”

As someone who has

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Cape Cod’s small businesses provide big holiday shopping opportunities

By Dorothea 1 week ago

From house-made cheese to heirloom pottery, Cape Cod’s small businesses have a gift for everyone on your holiday list.

In honor of Small Business Saturday on Nov. 27 (between Black Friday and Cyber Monday), some of our staffers offer suggestions on local places to shop. In addition, check out both streets near you and online — the Cape has many, many more creative ideas worth exploring.

A virtual marketplace

The Eastham Turnip Festival Virtual Holiday Marketplace kicks off Saturday, Nov. 20, with online connections to 33 local businesses for gift-buying and another 14 suggestions for candy, cookies, cheese and other delicacies. The online sales continue online through December at shops that include: Barnyard & Bangles, which makes home decor from recycled wood; Flotsam & Jetsam, which makes soy candles; Saltbox Soaps; Cape Cod Paper Bead Company; and a Horse of a Different Color, which offers stuffed, brightly colored horses and

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Financial planning opportunities for small business owners in 2022

By Dorothea 2 weeks ago

Brian Loy
 |  Reno Gazette Journal

What are your plans for 2022? It’s estimated that COVID-19 impacted 95% of businesses, and 80% of business owners saw an impact on their personal finances. These impacts have been diverse, and the financial challenges continue. This article uses two surveys to provide a backdrop for the economic roller coaster ride business owners face and four key planning areas to consider in preparing for the new year.

U.S. economic performance has been likened to a burning match. When a match is first struck, the flame burns hot and bright, but it eventually settles into a steady state. The economy surged the first half of this year as businesses and individuals hit restart following an unprecedented stimulus, the rollout of vaccines and pent-up demand. Headwinds emerged — supply challenges, inflation, scarce talent, the Delta variant, return to the workplace complications, etc. — and the economy

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How to Reduce Waste in Your Small Business

By Dorothea 3 weeks ago

Opportunities to Reduce Waste

There are lots of tangible and intangible opportunities to operate more sustainably as a business. If you’ve already added glass recycling to your company’s after-work happy hour, kudos! Check out these other ideas to get the ball rolling.

Energy and Carbon Emissions

Here’s a fun fact for financially savvy business owners: Every state has its own price per kilowatt-hour (kWh). It’s currently lowest in Louisiana (7.71 cents/kWh) and highest in Hawaii (28.72 cents/kWh).

Imagine you’re located somewhere in the middle, where you pay about 14 cents/kWh. If you kept 1,000 watts of lights on for 10 extra hours per day, you’d be wasting $42.61 per month. That’s $511.35 per year.

And that’s not an uncommon situation for many small businesses—even ones with the technology to conserve energy.

“Say an occupancy sensor controls a number of lights requiring a total of 1,000 watts,” says Mike Jones, president

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