Local Business Talk

Additional guidance was provided on a common PPP question about early forgiveness last week. We discuss how this impacts your loan along with additional grant opportunities that are available. We also cover some free marketing tools provided by Google and Facebook that can give your business a boost along with an open Q&A.

Another week brings more changes to the PPP program. This week the SBA released a new simplified forgiveness application so we cover the details during this call. In addition, a common question has been "what do I do when PPP funds run out?" We cover two possible solutions to look for along with updating the Nebraska Stabilization Grant process

The PPP forgiveness process has changed once again. Luckily the changes are not as dramatic as last week, however there are things to note as you use the funds. Also, the state of Nebraska announced a new grant program offering up to $12K for businesses impacted by COVID-19. We discuss these topics and more with a live Q&A.

The PPP Flexibility Act significantly changed the PPP loan forgiveness process. Most of the changes are postiive and will help business owners achieve full forgiveness. However, there are a few landmines to watch out for with the new law. We discussed these changes with an open Q&A on our Monday discussion call.

New guidance was issued regarding the PPP Loan forgiveness process. Today we cover the important aspects of the application along with potential changes that can impact how the funds are used. Listen now for the latest update!

Small businesses are taking small steps towards normalcy and re-opening as of May 4th. The Governor established a business task force to provide information on best practices for re-opening and to get real-time feedback from local businesses. Dept of Economic Development Director Tony Goins is the chair of that task force and joined us to discuss. 

There are still questions remaining about PPP forgiveness, the EIDL program, and more for businesses to answer. We went straight to the source and invited the District Director of the Small Business Administration Leon Milobar to join our weekly round-table. Leon was generous with his time and very helpful answering questions many of us face during COVID-19

I hosted a round-table discussion on Monday April 20th with 60+ small businesses. We discussed the steps needed to ensure you get PPP loan forgiveness and what to do if you were not able to get the first round of funding. We also covered what to do as the world starts to "normalize" again

The impact of COVID-19 continues to be felt by small businesses across the nation. To help us through this, we held a round-table discussion with small businesses on April 13th. We cover details on SBA loan programs along with creating our future as entrepreneurs through these changes.

There is a lot of new "stuff" out there for small businesses including the PPP Loan, EIDL advance program, tax deferrals, tax credits, and more. If you are feeling uncertain and overwhelmed, you are not alone! We hosted a round-table discussion on April 6th to clarify the different programs available for your small business.

There are many ways a small businesses can receive help through the new CARES Act. Today we cover the details of the new forgivable SBA loan program, potential payroll tax deferrals, and more. We hosted 50+ like-minded small business owners for a round-table Q&A

Things move fast in this COVID-19 environment and there is a lot of uncertainty with how to handle HR details. At Ideal Payroll, we are getting many human resource related questions on Family Medical Leave, Emergency Paid Sick Leave, how to handle layoffs, PTO balances, and more. On March 27th, Doug Pedersen of HR Systems Inc joined us for a Q&A. Doug has 25+ years of HR experience and helps businesses of all sizes. If you need further help, you can reach out to Doug and/or consult your attorney.

We have all felt the impact of COVID-19. Small business is hurting, but if we stand together we can get through to the other side of this issue. I held a conference call of approximately 50 small businesses on Monday March 23rd. We discuss multiple issues facing small business including SBA loans, Dept of Labor unemployment options, marketing your business, and much much more. This episode brings the roundtable discussion to you. We are all in this together!

Today is a "best of" episode featuring Maddie Carson of Carson's Cookie Fix. Maddieo made the decision to re-brand her small business after the prior business had been in existence for 40 years! She shares her story of how building processes, getting team members involved, and focusing on a specific product line lead to her success.

Today we share one of my favorite episodes in a "best of" the podcast edition! RISE is an organization that brings entrepreneurship and business ideas to incarcerated men and women in Nebraska. This incredible program benefits the community, the participants, and the volunteers.

In this episode, we discuss mindset and how to overcome your inner thoughts that may be holding you back. Janelle Roker is a strategy coach that discusses the mental side of business success.

Do you ever have a day when everything goes wrong? Employees have issues, customers are calling, and nothing seems to go the way you want it to go! Believe it or not, but these days are the BEST days for growing your business. Problems can lead to change which sets your business up for long term success! Listen to this episode to hear the details!

Does the name of your business impact your success? Does your logo and branding really matter? Today's episode we discuss how a name can have a big impact on the customers and employees in your business. We also get into why I changed the name of this very podcast and what that means for the future of the show. Take a listen!

Where do you come up with new ideas for your business? Are you creating something entirely brand new every time you do a marketing campaign or build a process? Likely, you are "borrowing" from other ideas and systems that came before you. Today we discuss 4 ethical ways to borrow ideas to help improve your business. There is no reason to re-invent the wheel when you can use concepts and tactics from others that have been there before you.

Do you want more engagement with prospective customers? How about an easy way to qualify leads and get them info they need more efficiently? RJ Redden joins us on the show to discuss how chat bots are a tool to do exactly those things and more! You'll be surprised at how much a bot can do while keeping things personal and not "robotic."