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.

Grants are a form of financial assistance that do not require repayment. To help small businesses impacted by COVID-19, grant programs were quickly established across the country – at the federal, state, and local levels.

For many business owners, one of the biggest challenges brought about by the pandemic was, and continues to be, a financial crisis. As businesses are forced to limit their operations, invest in a multitude of health and safety measures, and shift to virtual sales, liquidity has become a pressing challenge. That’s where COVID-19 Biz Tools comes in.

Wondering how to pivot your retail store strategy and approach to customer service during COVID-19? Mark Villalovos, Director of Strategy and Transformation at Sears Holdings Corporation and customer experience expert, shares five pieces of advice for businesses looking to optimize this “next normal” in the lives of their customers.

Small businesses are at the heart of any community. They provide essential and non-essential products and services, serve as local gathering places, and generate the economic growth that allows families and fellow businesses to flourish.

For small business owners, finding time for business development can be challenging. This is especially true during uncertain times, and COVID-19 is certainly one of them. Below, we share some best practices around time management and business development that you can apply to your own business.

Capital is the lifeblood of every small business. For many small business owners, determining how best to secure capital and apply it for maximum effectiveness is among the most challenging aspects of starting and running a business. Here are the best strategies for accessing capital…

With election day rapidly approaching on November 3rd, the swirl of chatter about candidates and ballot measures has got us thinking about how these choices will affect small business owners. Here are three key steps to help you more effectively advocate for your business and industry.

Businesses across the state continue to re-open while COVID infection rates are climbing in some counties. We take a look at job recovery trends, the latest federal lending updates, and newly released podcast episodes.

We are in early Stage 3 of Governor Newsom’s Resilience Roadmap. Governor Newsom has been slowly easing restrictions based on local variance guides when counties may re-open.

Updated resources about the California re-opening process and the second round of PPP