A call, a deleted tweet, and a press conference changed everything for Four Seasons Total Landscaping. Suddenly, the scrutiny of one of the most polarizing elections in this country’s history was focused on this small Philadelphia business. A company could crumple under the pressure. Four Seasons Total Landscaping capitalized on it instead. Sean Middleton, the company’s Director Of Sales And Contracts, shares how they pivoted to create a new business in just six days.

Podcasts are designed to create a relationship with your existing or target audience. Christina Barsi, Founder of media company Avant Haüs Media, shares her insights on how businesses can utilize podcasting to create deep and authentic connections.

Since the pandemic hit the country in March, over 100,000 restaurants have closed their doors. As we head into the holiday season, a new campaign called The 12 Days of Takeout aims to support small business eateries and drinking establishments. How? By encouraging people to order takeout every day from December 12th to the 23rd.

Small businesses are struggling now more than ever. The time for emergency solutions is over – it’s time for survival solutions. Mark Herbert, Vice President of Small Business Majority, discusses some of the priorities, programs, and resources that small businesses need to get through the winter and start rebuilding into next year.

COVID has made us re-think how we engage our customers. What is the best way to communicate and network virtually, with both existing and potential customers? How do we stay informed about new industry and consumption trends, so that we can quickly respond with an effective business and marketing strategy?

This year brought many unprecedented challenges that small businesses were forced to navigate for their survival and success. Taking these changes into account and reflecting on how we can best position our businesses into the coming months, we asked Mark Villalovos, Director of Strategy and Transformation at Sears Holdings Corporation, to share with us his predictions on which key trends small businesses should lean into in order to thrive in 2021.

COVID-19 has forced businesses to re-think the way we do advertising, sales, collaboration, and even team training. Many companies have stepped forward, offering reduced or waived fees for small businesses. Our Tech Tools resource page lists some of the best options .

Capital is the lifeblood of every small business. We rely on it to get started, sustain ourselves, and grow. For many of us, figuring out how to access capital and apply for maximum effectiveness is one of the most challenging aspects of running a business.

As business owners continue to face disasters that are hurting their ability to operate, being able to access assistance is critical. With more than 4 million small businesses in the state, these entrepreneurs truly are the backbone of California’s economy, and their success is what drives economic development. But for organizations that support these businesses, the COVID-19 pandemic has made this task much more challenging.

We now know a lot about the election outcomes, but what about the nuances of how people vote, who it impacts, and how one proposition's vote may affect another? Jesse Torres and Sid Voorakkara from our COVID-19 Biz Tools team hash out how voting results will impact ourselves, our communities, our small businesses, the economy and the country at large.

We are living through multiple disasters at once. Although we all feel their impact, everyone has responded differently. To examine business resiliency more closely, we sat down with Clare Briglio, Communications and Business Disruption Resource Director for the Economic Development Collaborative based in Ventura County.