Loan pool may help small businesses survive ‘hibernation’
Nearly $350 billion in forgivable federally backed loans could be a lifeline for small businesses and their employees amid the COVID-19 outbreak.
Small Business
Articles
Shuttered hair salons face ‘overwhelming’ challenges
Desi Spears and Foster-Adesokan have both heard from clients who want to make appointments for when they reopen their shops.
Not the grand opening coffee shop owner wanted
On the day Rachel Priddy finally got word from her contractor that she could apply for a certificate of occupancy to open her coffee shop in Carmel, Gov. Eric Holcomb ordered all restaurants to shut down in-person dining.
Circle Kombucha sales are down 50%, but CEO’s outlook bright
For now—although some restaurants can still sell Circle Kombucha with takeout orders—most of the company’s sales are taking place at about 150 grocery stores in Indiana and the region.
Gym finds going virtual isn’t panacea for revenue problem
Naptown Fitness is offering its members a different kind of carryout as a way to stay healthy while gyms are closed during the pandemic.
Coronavirus has ‘heartbreaking’ impact on family-owned funeral home chain
Jim Shirley is one small-business executive who isn’t worried about a decline in business during the pandemic. If anything, he’s worried about a surge.
ClusterTruck food-delivery firm misses office orders
About 60% of the company’s sales typically happen at lunch and are delivered to workplaces, which have been stripped down to only the most essential people.
Software firm Lessonly scores $15 million in latest venture funding round
The funding—secured before the coronavirus hit the U.S.—will be used to fuel growth across all segments of the company, said Lessonly CEO Max Yoder.
City, Indy Chamber aim to raise $10M for rapid-loan fund for small businesses
Nearly $3 million has already been committed to the fund, including $1 million from Indianapolis-based Anthem Inc. and $1.5 million from the city of Indianapolis.
Stay-home decrees crush small business, erasing millions of jobs
First came the order to close up. Then the laying off of staff. Now small-business owners across the U.S. are bleeding cash and wading through paperwork to get financial assistance.
IBJ Podcast: How can companies survive the economic calamity of COVID-19?
“It’s your job to survive and to make sure that when these social controls are lifted and everybody starts to come back out that you’re ready for business,” IU’s Phil Powell, an economist at the Kelley School of Business, tells host Mason King.
Q&A: Grocery/cafe offers food in a desert
In its ongoing effort to provide more food access to marginalized local neighborhoods, not-for-profit Flanner House of Indianapolis opened Cleo’s Bodega & Cafe last summer.
Social distancing shifts many small businesses into survival mode
Concerns about the spread of COVID-19 have put in peril thousands of businesses, from restaurants and hotels to airlines and manufacturers of consumer goods.
Local high-end restaurants adapting to in-house dining restrictions
Some are switching their menus to carryout-friendly fare and redeploying servers as delivery drivers.
Coronavirus forcing small businesses to rethink strategies
At some small businesses, the spread of the coronavirus is forcing owners to change the fundamental ways they work.
Filmmaker peddles Spanish wine in the United States
When Indianapolis outdoorsman and filmmaker Eddie Brochin was asked to lead adventure tours on a Mexican ranch in 2013, he had no idea it would lead him to import and distribute wine.
McCammon’s Irish Market acquires Brownsburg garden center
Greg and Lisa Frazee, who opened Frazee Gardens in 2008, will continue to own and operate Brownsburg Landscape Co., which they founded in 1987.
Many U.S. firms waiting for products to ship from China in coronavirus delay
Many U.S. small business owners are facing a shortage of products or components because suppliers, who closed for the weeks-long New Year holiday, remain shut due to the virus that has killed more than 1,100 people.
Hamilton County key to hemp supply chain
Hemp-processing companies are investing millions of dollars into refineries across Hamilton County to close a gap in the state’s CBD supply chain.
Startup’s solution to back pain gaining traction with auto industry
Comfort Motion Global has five patents on a software-based system that uses algorithms to make periodic micro adjustments to automobile seats.