Risk-wary banks may stall small business rescue

Banks wary of bad loans could derail the government’s mega rescue package for small enterprises, industry officials said, since much of the promised money is to be given out as loans. Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday announced ₹3 trillion collateral-free loans and partially guaranteed ₹20,000 crore of subordinated debt for cash-starved micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). However, the whole plan hinges exclusively on greater lending by banks, which have so far preferred paltry interest from the central bank to greater returns from riskier loans. Experts said private banks…

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There Are Black Friday Type Deals On Small Business Saturday: $17.8 Billion Spent In 2018

In the midst of Black Friday and Cyber Monday planning and shopping, there are two additional “shopping” days you may want to know about. Small Business Saturday and Giving Tuesday. Each one came about, partly as a counter-movement to the big box retailer pushes to get people to spend. Note: I explore where to find Saturday specials here and “GivingTuesday” in a separate post that I will publish this weekend. NEW YORK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 25: Lin-Manuel Miranda lights the Empire State Building blue in … [+] GETTY IMAGES If…

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LinkedIn launches ‘Open for Business’ globally for small businesses, freelancers

Professional networking platform LinkedIn announced on Monday the global launch of Open for Business, a feature that allows freelancers and small business owners to add their services to their LinkedIn profiles, making them discoverable from a LinkedIn search. The feature is now live in India, following an initial roll-out in the US in July 2019, and is a great way for freelancers and small businesses to indicate they’re ‘Open for Business’. Open for Business allows small businesses and freelancers to showcase the services they provide, directly on their profiles. This…

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5 Ways to Keep Your Small Business in Compliance

As you strive to grow your small business, there is one thing to keep in mind: ensuring its compliance. Each state has its own set of business laws to abide by. If you fail to do what the state requires, you can lose your protections and accrue fees and penalties. Here are five basic things you need to do to keep your business safe. Small Business Compliance Tips Confirm Your Business Is in Good Standing You need to make sure your business is in good standing is important; check to ensure…

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Digital Transformation: A Small Business How-To Guide

By now, most businesses know the hype around digital transformation. I’m often asked what’s really meant by this term, and how small businesses in particular should go about the transformation. To answer those questions, we need to start by debunking a few myths. First, digital transformation isn’t about having a website and ordering online, though those capabilities are often crucial components. Digital transformation is really about deploying the latest technologies to simplify processes a business undertakes, improve and expand services and products it provides and rethink every outcome it seeks…

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Week Plan App Aims to Stop Small Business Owners from Feeling Overwhelmed

Week Plan is a weekly planner and task manager being marketed to small business owners who may feel like they have a bit too much on their plate. The app seeks to ratchet down that overwhelmed feeling by steering you to the tasks that matter most, instead of trying to get everything done. The subscription-based software represents one option for small business owners to improve their time management skills. Small Business Trends spoke with Aymeric Gaurat-Apelli founder of Week Plan to find out how the software works for small businesses. He’s a software engineer…

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