Tag: Main

business proposals

Another Covid-19 stimulus round of PPP would save Main Street jobs

3 months ago
[email protected]_84

Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) holds a chart as bipartisan members of the Senate and House gather to announce a framework for fresh coronavirus relief legislation at a news conference on Capitol Hill on Dec. 1, 2020.

Kevin Lemarque | Reuters

Main Street has been clamoring for a new round of federal relief, with 83% of small business owners in the latest CNBC|SurveyMonkey Small Business Confidence Survey saying they would support a new economic stimulus package to help individuals and businesses impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. On Tuesday, after months of stalled talks between Capitol Hill and the White House and as coronavirus cases reach daily new highs, Congress unveiled a new stimulus proposal that seems tailored to meet the dire needs of small businesses across the country, though it was quickly shot down by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. 

In what would be a boon for small business owners, a

… Read More

central business

Main Street Skowhegan extends Small Business Saturday to Dec. 5

3 months ago
[email protected]_84

In a photo of Christmas past, James Albert, left center, rings up customers at the River Roads Artisans Gallery in Skowhegan on Small Business Saturday last year. In 2020 merchants are stretching Small Business Saturday from Nov. 28 to Dec. 5. Michael G. Seamans/Morning Sentinel file

Main Street Skowhegan has partnered with a handful of local businesses to create #ShopSmall Week, an event that offers shoppers incentives for supporting small businesses in the area.

From Saturday, Nov. 28 to Dec. 5, shoppers can receive a variety of discounts from the 49 participating shops and restaurants in the Skowhegan area.

Every time a shopper makes a purchase at a business, they can fill out a raffle ticket for a drawing of two $100 gift cards and two $50 gift cards. Raffle winners will be selected at the end of the week, and the gift cards can be used at any local

… Read More

business planning

Main Street pins hopes on Small Business Saturday sales to help stay afloat

3 months ago
[email protected]_84

  • As holiday shopping gets into gear this weekend, its uncertain how Small Business Saturday on Nov. 28 will move the needle and help the millions of business owners on Main Street struggling to survive.
  • Forty-three percent of shoppers plan to spend less this holiday season than they did in 2019, and only 6% plan to spend the most money on Small Business Saturday, according to the Small Business Saturday Survey conducted by SurveyMonkey and CNBC.
  • Roughly 75% small business owners have said that they need holiday spending to return to normal in order to stay in business in 2021, a recent study by American Express revealed.



a person walking down a street: A stretch of stores along the base of Munjoy Hill had open signs out and were ready for business as part of small business Saturday, November 28, 2015.

© Provided by CNBC
A stretch of stores along the base of Munjoy Hill had open signs out and were ready for business as part of small business Saturday, November 28, 2015.

As holiday shopping gets into gear this weekend, its uncertain how Small

… Read More

business planning

Main St pins hopes on Small Business Saturday sales to stay afloat

3 months ago
[email protected]_84

A stretch of stores along the base of Munjoy Hill had open signs out and were ready for business as part of small business Saturday, November 28, 2015.

Gabe Souza | Portland Press Herald | Getty Images

As holiday shopping gets into gear this weekend, its uncertain how Small Business Saturday on Nov. 28 will move the needle and help the millions of business owners on Main Street struggling to survive. According to a Small Business Saturday Survey conducted by SurveyMonkey and CNBC, 43% of shoppers plan to spend less this holiday season than they did in 2019, and only 6% plan to spend the most money on Small Business Saturday.

The national study conducted from Nov.,16-18 released on Friday, surveyed 3,122 individuals age 18 to over 65. The survey was conducted using SurveyMonkey’s online platform and based on its survey methodology.

This could be foreboding news for small business

… Read More

online business

Greenville’s Main Street businesses ready for Small Business Saturday

3 months ago
[email protected]_84

CLOSE

Tucked away underground, across the street from the Hyatt Hotel, Kathy Young’s jewelry studio doesn’t attract throngs of casual window shoppers on Main Street.

During normal times, she gets a slow, small, steady stream of people who stop in throughout the day. 

“Now, I can literally go two days and not have anybody come in,” Young said. 

For many small businesses on downtown Greenville’s Main Street, Small Business Saturday will look different this year due to COVID-19. 

Some businesses are just trying to survive. Others are thriving. All are trying to adapt to new consumer demands sparked by the pandemic. 

Buy Photo

Jewelry and Art by Kathy Young on North Main Street, Wednesday, November 11, 2020. (Photo: MATT BURKHARTT/Staff)

For Small Business Saturday, Young hands out promotional items like vouchers for free ring cleanings. 

This year with coronavirus has been “really strange,” she said. 

“Everything has changed. The client

… Read More

online business

Downtown Franklin shops offer deals for Holiday Magic on Main

3 months ago
[email protected]_84

CLOSE

FRANKLIN, Tenn. — Hollie Rollins feels fortunate to own her small business in downtown Franklin, even in the middle of a pandemic. 

Savory Spice — nestled along the storefronts of Main Street — still sells its merchandise to consumers looking for a different taste to their meals. But the row of shops and restaurants looks different this year. Customers are greeted with mask mandate signs on windows and hand sanitizer stations upon walking inside. 

“We are really lucky that … pandemic or not, everyone eats food,” Rollins said. “We are trying to highlight new and interesting flavors. People are cooking more in their own kitchens.” 

She said this year customers have been making it a priority to shop at locally owned businesses. 

“We live in Franklin and operate

… Read More

central business

Pakistan’s central bank keeps main policy rate unchanged at 7%

3 months ago
[email protected]_84

By Syed Raza Hassan

KARACHI, Pakistan Nov 23 (Reuters) – Pakistan has kept its main policy rate unchanged at 7%, the central bank said on Monday, as consumer price index inflation remained close to 9%.

It is the second time that Pakistan has kept its main policy rate unchanged after cutting it 625 basis points, down from 13.25%, at the time the global pandemic hit its economy in February.

“Overall financial conditions remain appropriately accommodative, with the real policy rate remaining in slightly negative territory on a forward-looking basis,” a statement from the State Bank of Pakistan said, quoting the monetary policy committee (MPC), which met on Monday.

The statement said headline inflation had fallen sharply since January but remained close to 9%, primarily driven by sharp increases in food items due to supply-side issues.

However, it said core inflation remained relatively moderate and stable, and price indexes

… Read More

online business

Why Main Street America Should Bet On The Experience Economy

4 months ago
[email protected]_84

Victor Ho is the CEO of Fivestars, a payment and marketing platform building the largest local small business fintech network in the U.S.

The “experience economy” took the world by storm in recent years. Most major restaurants, hotels and retailers announced strategies to renovate their stores in efforts to offer consumers unique and novel experiences. Even digital-first companies invested millions in their physical footprint.

However, in-person dining and shopping experiences came to a halt when Covid-19 hit. With the sudden decline of in-store shopping as we know it, a retailer’s typical “experiential” strategies were placed on the back burner. Instead, they catered to the demands of the new shopper — one who simply wanted safety, convenience and affordability. And so, the “chore economy” was born. Under this new standard, big businesses and e-commerce behemoths thrive.

But still, small businesses should be banking on the return of a suppressed

… Read More

business weekly

Shaping the Blockchain & Crypto Ecosystem at Hong Kong Blockchain Week 2020 November 17-19, With Main Block O2O Virtual Summit on Nov 18th

4 months ago
[email protected]_84

HONG KONG, Nov. 11, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — As Bitcoin price is going up, digital currencies relive their best industry moments while getting closer to a customer than ever in 2020. Experts from business, technology, finance, education hubs will ensure deep thought leadership and share unique analysis of how the crypto currencies world evolved from Satoshi’s whitepaper into a globally important topic of central bank digital currencies.

How to build an effective ecosystem, maintain a good liquidity, be safe as an investor, or consumer, and ensure adequate digital transformation of a business – all these topics to be discussed during Hong Kong Blockchain Week 2020, the most anticipated event for those engaged in blockchain, FinTech and digital strategy. Hosted by The NexChange Group and co-organised by Cyberport, the conference will be held on November 17th to 19th.

David Shin, Head of Asia at TZ APAC stated:

… Read More

business online

New Main Street Business Plans Restart Optimism

4 months ago
[email protected]_84

The late Roy Ash, financial advisor to U.S. presidents and instrumental in establishing the government’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is quoted as saying, “An entrepreneur tends to bite off a little more than he can chew hoping he’ll quickly learn how to chew it.”

Get a pack of gum for chewing practice, because Ash’s aphorism is being mightily tested.

During this period of economic recession and job loss, reopening and reinvention, with new infection hotspots popping up weekly, starting a new business sounds somewhere between slightly iffy and totally bonkers. In fact, fortunes are always made out of disasters, and America’s entrepreneurial spirit may be just the counterforce for a stalled economy.

Optimism around new business is materializing on Main Street, among other places, with small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) reopening.

“The pandemic dealt a harsh blow to the businesses on

… Read More