Business News for September 17, 2021
Today's message includes the following news, best practices, and online courses:
  • EIDL Loan Updates
  • Badger Bounceback Provides Grant Opportunities for Movie Theaters and Venues, Summer Camps, Minor League Sports Teams, and Destination Marketing Organizations
  • 5 Exercises to Help You Build More Empathy

Upcoming SBDC Learning Opportunities
  • Launch into Leadership
  • Skills for Conflict & Negotiation
  • HR Basics for Non-HR Professionals
  • Entrepreneurial Training Program (ETP) for aspiring entrepreneurs
  • The Employment Imperative: Tackling Workforce Challenges
Business News, Updates, and Best Practices
EIDL Loan Updates
join the SBA Virtual Summit and celebrate!
Recent changes to the SBA's Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program may make the program more beneficial for specific borrowers. This Federal small business loan program supports small businesses’ recovery from the COVID-19 disaster’s economic impacts by providing access to working capital for operating expenses with a 3.75% interest rate and a loan repayment period of 30 years.

As of September 8, 2021, new COVID EIDL policy changes have taken effect that entail the below updates to the program:
  • Maximum loan cap increased from $500,000 to $2 million
  • Use of funds was expanded to include payment and pre-payment of business non-federal debt incurred at any time (past or future) and payment of federal debt
  • Extend the deferment period to 24 months from origination for all loans (existing loans with a less than 24-month deferment will be adjusted)
  • Affiliation requirements simplified to an affiliate is a business that you control or in which you have 50% of more ownership
  • Developed additional path to meet program size standards for businesses assigned a NAICS code beginning with 61, 71, 72, 213, 3121, 315, 448, 451, 481, 485, 487, 511, 512, 515, 532, or 812
  • Exclusivity Period: From September 8, 2021 to October 8, 2021, the above policy changes will be applicable to applications for <$500K while applications for >$500K will not be approved and therefore receive the policy changes until October 8, 2021

Additional EIDL program details:
#BadgerBounceback Provides Grant Opportunities for Businesses
funded by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021
These one-time investments hosted by the Wisconsin Department of Administration (DOA) are designed to help Wisconsin communities and businesses with pandemic recovery. Below, find grant program announcements for currently open programs and application information.

Movie Theaters and Venues
applications open until October 15
The Event Venue and Live Event Small Business grant programs will provide funding of up to $200,000 per eligible organization, for a total of $10 million and $12 million respectively, while the Movie Theater grant will provide funding up to $15,000 per screen, for a total of $11.25 million.

Summer Camps and Minor League Sports Teams
applications open until October 15
The Minor League Sports Teams Grant program will provide funding of up to $200,000 per eligible organization, for a total of $2.8 million, while the Summer Camp Grant program will provide funding up to $50,000 per eligible organization, for a total of $8 million.

Entities that received a Beyond the Classroom grant under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, youth sports teams, recreational teams, and sports teams affiliated with higher education institutions are ineligible. 
  • Additional information about the Summer Camp Grant Program, designed to assist overnight, for-profit summer camps serving school-aged children and persons with disabilities
  • Additional information about the Minor League Sports Teams Grant Program, designed to support Minor League sports team organizations that were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic
Destination Marketing Organization Grants
applications closing September 29
The Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) Grant Program will provide financial support for organizations that promote and develop tourism activities in Wisconsin. A total of $15 million is available, up to $1,000,000 per eligible organization, based on expenses incurred between March 3, 2021 and December 31, 2022.

Additional information about the DMO Grant Program
5 Exercises to Help You Build More Empathy
empathy is a skill that can be developed; not a fixed trait
There are three types of empathy - cognitive empathy, emotional empathy, and empathic concern or compassion - all of which can serve as an opportunity to enhance our social health.

  • Learn more about how to build empathy
  • Want to build more leadership skills? Check out our upcoming SBDC courses on delegation, conflict resolution, difficult conversations, and more
Upcoming SBDC Learning Opportunities
Launch into Leadership
September 29, 30 & October 1, 2021
Taking on new supervisory responsibilities is a great opportunity and challenge. Many in supervisory roles have learned either by trial and error or by following what was done by their predecessor. In most cases, this is not a very effective strategy. This virtual online series will start you in the right direction with fundamental leadership skills and ideas for how to continue your growth as a supervisor and leader.
Positive Power Plays: Skills for Conflict & Negotiation
October 15, 2021
All leaders experience conflict in one form or another, but viewing that experience from a different lens can help you turn conflict into collaborations and reach win-win resolutions. In this course, you will learn conflict styles, strategies for building trust, stages of conflict resolution and how to use them in any situation, emotion management, and more.
HR Basics for Non-HR Professionals
October 18 & 19, 2021
Whether you're a new leader who wants to know the basics, a small business owner or manager with HR responsibilities as part of your role, or a business that does not have a dedicated HR expert on your staff, this is the program for you.

Topics Include:
  • Employment laws most often violated by small businesses
  • Independent contractors vs. employees
  • Exempt vs. non-exempt employees
  • Overtime and other pay
  • FMLA, OSHA, harassment policies, and more
  • Disciplinary processes
... and more!
Entrepreneurial Training Program (ETP)
starts October 21, 2021
ETP is an intensive business-planning training program. The focus of the program is to help you complete a comprehensive rough draft of your business plan in the form of a written workbook. Each session will help you work toward putting your ideas on paper so that, by the end of class, you have made significant progress toward launching your business or writing a more comprehensive business plan.
The Employment Imperative: Tackling Workforce Challenges
November 9, 2021
In this session, developed with Columbia, Sauk, and Marquette Counties in mind, we’ll translate regional workforce data into day-to-day business by learning how long-term trends are impacting the current labor market and how one local business is responding.

Guest presenters include Matt Kures, Community Development Institute at the UW-Madison, Division of Extension and Todd Spencer, V.P. of Human Resources at TriEnda Corporation
Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities will be made if requested at least two weeks in advance. Contact the UW-Madison SBDC office at sbdc@bus.wisc.edu or 608-263-2221 to request accommodations.

The Wisconsin SBDC Network is a proud part of the Institute for Business & Entrepreneurship in the University of Wisconsin System. It is funded in part through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration.