Month: April 2020

The coronavirus pandemic has fundamentally changed the way businesses operate in the U.S. Even as lockdowns and business closures are easing in many areas, the effects are going to be with us for a long time. Getty Changes like social distancing, protective masks, and increased virtual approaches to minimize personal contact would have seemed like

Subway CEO John Chidsey on Wednesday defended the company’s franchisees who applied for small business loans to help offset the economic impacts from the coronavirus pandemic.  “We literally have 10,700 franchisees in the U.S., and on average they own two restaurants apiece,” Chidsey said on CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street.”  “We are the ultimate mom-and-pop, if

Getty There is no shortage of distractions when working from home, and some days those distractions definitely seem to get the best of us. With a solid plan and an intentional focus, you can overcome those distractions and take control of your work day. Here’s how: Stick to your regular work schedule. It can be

CNBC’s Jim Cramer on Tuesday criticized banks for approving small business loans to larger companies that were not meant to benefit from the federal Payroll Protection Program. “I just want to know who made the bad loans. Somebody did,” Cramer said on “Squawk on the Street,” suggesting the names of the banks who facilitated the

TJ Stouder ©ElizabethFinnPhotography 2017|Fort Wayne IN Photographer Warren Bobrow=WB: Where are you from? What did you do originally? Why Cannabis? TJ Stouder=TJS: I’m originally from Indiana, where most of my family still resides. After graduating from Notre Dame, I decided time to see the world and spent over a decade with Procter & Gamble learning about

A masked pedestrian walks past shuttered shopfronts in Hollywood, California on April 23, 2020. FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images Many Americans collecting unemployment benefits may be wondering: Why isn’t my check bigger? The $2.2 trillion coronavirus relief package enacted last month expanded unemployment benefits in several ways, partly by increasing jobless pay by $600

TOPLINE As the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program launched for the second time on Monday with $310 billion in fresh funding, complaints of processing delays and computer glitches began to surface almost immediately as the program was overwhelmed by a flood of demand yet again. The embattled emergency loan program for small businesses experienced

Fabian Videla Source: Fabian Videla In March, Fabian Videla realized that his 20-year-old construction and renovation company, Smarter Remodeling,in Jacksonville, Florida, might not survive the coronavirus outbreak.  “People started canceling sales appointments,” Videla, 49, said. “Current customers were apprehensive about letting crews in their houses. All of a sudden, it was a massive shutdown.” Soon,

Starting a crisis playbook before you forget Getty During the 2008 worldwide financial meltdown, Rahm Emanuel famously said, “Never allow a crisis go to waste.” Last month on “This Week with George Stephanopoulos,” the former Chicago mayor repeated the remark in reference to Covid-19 and added, “Start planning for the future.” By which he meant not the

A sign alerts Potbelly Sandwich Shop customers that it is open for pick-up and takeout only due to the coronavirus outbreak in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Tuesday, March 17, 2020. Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images Andrew Harrer | Bloomberg | Getty Images Potbelly said Saturday that it will return its $10 million loan from

The role of a startup CEO can change every day and the amount of time you spend on each role will … [+] vary and depend on the stage, unexpected tasks and priorities. At the end of the day, your job is to prove there is a business. This includes but not limited to these

Despite outrage on Main Street and new pressure from the Treasury Department this week, several publicly traded companies that received payroll relief funds from the Small Business Administration oppose demands to return the cash. The companies said the Paycheck Protection Program loans have allowed them to keep employees on payroll and that they disagree with

Credit Cards Start Cutting Limits for People Facing Tough Times Major U.S. credit card issuers are starting to lower customer spending limits as the coronavirus pandemic leaves millions of Americans jobless and struggling to keep up on loans. Discover DISCA just became the largest lender yet to acknowledge it’s begun reining in lines of credit.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif. arrives on Capitol Hill, Thursday, April 23, 2020, in Washington. Andrew Harnik | AP The House had the votes to pass a $484 billion package Thursday to bolster small businesses and hospitals ravaged by the coronavirus crisis and expand testing desperately needed to start the return to normal life.

Getty It’s clear that shelter at home requirements aren’t going to disappear overnight. Some find themselves inundated with work, barely able to take time to sleep. While others are in a holding pattern, trying to make sure they look useful while their companies weigh options regarding furloughs, layoffs and paying staff during this business time-out.

Jamie Black-Lewis received loans from the Paycheck Protection Program for her two spas, Oasis Medspa & Salon and Amai Day Spa, in Washington state. Many of her 35 employees think they will make more money collecting unemployment benefits than from their regular paychecks. Jamie Black-Lewis Jamie Black-Lewis felt like she won the lottery after getting