SMALL BUSINESS

It all comes at you so quickly: One minute, you’re making grocery lists and setting the menu for Thanksgiving, and then, in the blink of an eye, the holiday has arrived, only to be followed by Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday -- and then your tree goes up and Christmas morning is here.

Small Business Saturday is a great way to support the local community and boost its economy.

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. This could be foreboding news for small business owners who are counting on holiday sales to recoup sagging revenues. While shoppers may be curbing spending in 2020, the CNBC/SurveyMonkey survey revealed that 30% of shoppers plan to patronize a small business on Small Business Saturday. Strategies in the Covid economyConsidering the many challenges small business owners face, experts give tips on how they can drive sales during this key shopping day. Gary Huether Jr., president and CEO, Arooga's Grille House & Sports Bar hopes Small Business Saturday sales will boost revenues.

MIAMI, Fla. – Miami Dade’s Board of County Commissioners authorized $5 million available in its Small Business Assistance Forgivable Loan Program on Tuesday. What exactly is a forgivable loan? Who do I contact to see if I can get this loan for my small business? The County’s SBAFLP will be administered by the County’s Department of Public Housing and Community Development, through two local federally chartered Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs). The CDFIs specialize in micro and small business lending in low- and moderate-income neighborhoods.

Without a vaccine to prevent the coronavirus disease, economists warn the downturn in the leisure and the hospitality industries is just beginning. On Friday, the feds reported the unemployment rate surged to 14.7% -- erasing a decade of job gains in one month. Some economists estimate the U.S. unemployment rate actually nears 24%. Without a vaccine, economists expect a lot of false starts. I fear that we are going to see yet another round of layoffs even as workers are called back.”More expert opinions:

President Donald Trump signed a $484 billion bill Friday to aid employers and said most of the funding in the bill would flow to small businesses through the Paycheck Protection Program. Known as PPP, the program is meant to loan money to small businesses to keep workers on their payroll. “Great for small businesses, great for the workers,” Trump said. Small Business? RELATED: Miami Commission approves funding for small business

FILE PHOTO: Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin discusses details for economic relief during the daily coronavirus response briefing as Small Business (SBA) Administrator Jovita Carranza listens at the White House in Washington, U.S., April 2, 2020. REUTERS/Tom Brenner/File PhotoWASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Sunday that senior Republicans and Democrats in Congress are close to reaching agreement on a new coronavirus response bill. I think were very close to a deal today and Im hopeful we can get that done, Mnuchin said in an interview with CNN.

MIAMI – The U.S. Small Business Administration manages four programs from the federal government to help businesses with 500 employees or less. Here is the SBA’s database to find eligible lenders >ECONOMIC INJURY DISASTER LOANS: The program provides loans of up to $2 million with a term of up to 30 years. DEBT RELIEF: This program applies to loans issued before Sept. 27, 2020 and includes payments of the principal, interest and fees. Florida set up a $50 million loan program for small businesses through the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. SMALL BUSINESS EMERGENCY BRIDGE LOAN: This program offers loans of up to $100,000 for businesses established before March 9th and that have two to 100 employees.

President Obama, along with daughters Sasha and Malia, visit local stores Upshur Street Books and Pleasant Pops in Washington, D.C. on a holiday shopping trip the Saturday after Thanksgiving