The Economic Injury Disaster Loans program through the Small Business Administration could be a lifeline to many small businesses that are struggling due to the pandemic. Now, the government has increased the loan limit from $500,000 to $2 million, starting Oct. 8....
Could the FTC really ban noncompete agreements federally?
President Joe Biden campaigned on a promise of limiting the use of noncompete agreements, at least for low-level workers. That was a stretch goal, as noncompete agreements have traditionally been regulated by the states, not the federal government. Nevertheless, last...
Paycheck Protection Program extended through May
Good news if your business has been struggling due to COVID-19 or the lockdowns. The federal government has extended the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) through the end of May to allow companies more time to apply and to allow more time to process the applications....
Barred from PPP loans due to a bankruptcy? Not anymore
The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) was meant to provide small businesses with the extra cash they needed to maintain their payrolls during the pandemic, when times were bad. The loans are forgivable for those who actually use the money to keep their employees on...
Better deal-making requires a long-term perspective
Have you fought hard to close a deal only to have it fall apart during implementation? Have you negotiated a contract that didn’t stand up to real-world conditions? Has a dispute arisen because you didn’t foresee a certain eventuality? There are ways to prevent...
If your business survives the next few months, 2021 could be great
An end to the pandemic may be in sight. With vaccinations rolling out now, there is a chance we could reach a reasonably safe state in just a few months. Yet the promise of the vaccines hasn’t completely solidified. There have been slowdowns and setbacks. Many...
SBA re-launches PPP with new fraud controls
The first two rounds of the Paycheck Protection Program were helpful to many companies, but there was evidence of fraud and other irregularities. Now, the Small Business Administration has announced a slightly more complex verification program for new applications. An...
Coronavirus has upended our habits. Which changes are permanent?
If you’re running a business during this pandemic, you’ve probably already had to pivot once or twice. You may have had to figure out how your employees could get the same work done from home. Or, you may have had to switch to an online model of sales. Perhaps you...
Is the worst of the pandemic’s impact still ahead?
According to a recent poll by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and MetLife, most small business owners in the U.S. think the worst effects of the coronavirus pandemic still lie ahead of us. Half of the respondents said they will close permanently if the business...
To save your business, should you adopt a start-up mentality?
It can take years to build a business up from a garage-based effort to a going concern. For many, all that hard work was paying off until the Coronavirus pandemic came along. For the past months, you may have been relying on loans, forbearances, rolling up your...
