Creating opportunities for people to live, work, & thrive on the Lower Cape
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Bringing you the latest tools to help your business.
Wow, it's hard to believe it's the end of July. It sure has been a crazy year! Over the past five months, we have been sending out weekly updates with information on small business topics that have been rapidly changing during the pandemic. At the moment, the State is keeping an eye on the numbers and many of our local small businesses are "Open For Business" even though it is quite different from other summers. This month I am moving back to the monthly Inside Scoop but will send out other emails as important information becomes available! Please call or email if a topic comes up that you need more information on.
What you will find in July's Inside Scoop:
- COVID- 19 Updated Travel Order
- Share your PPP Story to help other local small businesses.
- Can you access your business on Google? It's free to business owners.
- MassInc Polling Group Small Business survey results.
- CDP Business Assistance staff are here to help.
- WE CAN/CDP fall GROW Group Information Sessions in August.
- WE CAN/CDP free individual business legal consults.
- Care for the Cape - Compostable Service Wear Guide
Pam
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COVID 19 Travel Order Update
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Governor Baker announced last week that effective August 1st, all travelers entering Massachusetts—both out of state residents and Massachusetts residents returning home—must comply with a new travel order. This includes students returning to campuses for the fall semester.
The new travel order requires all visitors and returning residents to fill out a
Massachusetts Traveler Form
unless they are coming from a state that has been designated a lower risk COVID-19 state or fall into an exemption category. Currently, the lower risk COVID-19 states are NY, NJ, CT, ME, RI, VT, NH and HI. All lodging and short term rental entities are required to inform guests at time of booking, on websites and on-site. All lower risk states will be updated regularly by DPH.
This new travel order also provides that visitors and returning residents arriving in Massachusetts from any place other than a COVID-19 lower risk state must quarantine for 14 days unless they can produce a negative COVID-19 test result administered on a sample taken not more than 72 hours prior to arriving in Massachusetts.
Click
here
to read the full details of this travel order.
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Share your Paycheck Protection Program Story with the CDP
to support our region's economy and show other local businesses that they can participate - The Program will end August 8th.
The
Department of Treasury website
provides a listing of loan totals by state. To date,
1,527
businesses across the Lower and Outer Cape have received
$54,012,378.62
in PPP loans
and have retained
7,518
jobs in our community.
We believe that there are many other businesses in our region that could benefit from these forgivable loans. If you have received a loan, we would like to share your story to help other businesses that have not yet applied. Please email
Jason
at the CDP to share your story for future advertising and promotion to show other businesses what types of businesses have participated.
The CDP has helped over 50 Lower and Outer Cape business owners review opportunities for financial assistance during the pandemic. There are still PPP funds available. The application deadline has been extended to August 8th. Please contact
Pam
if you would like to discuss the options available to your business.
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Do you have access to your Google My Business account?
Do you control what information Google has posted about your business on the web? You can and you should to insure the information your customers and potential customers see is up to date and accurate. Benefits to setting up your account:
- It is free
- No one else can claim your business
- Update hours of operation as they change throughout the year
- Update photos and services
Last month I participated in a Google My Business Workshop with SCORE. The webinar was recorded and is available on the
Cape & Islands SCORE
website.
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Survey Results
Earlier this month, Mass Inc and Community Development Organizations around the State polled small business owners to obtain feedback regarding the impacts of COVID-19 on small businesses in Massachusetts. Thank you to those who participated.
The results of the poll were released this morning. I will share more of the data in the next issue, but here are some of the highlights:
- Only 1/3rd of the businesses across the state are fully open.
- The biggest factors to reopening were size of the business and the number of customers who had to enter their facility for them to provide services to the customer.
- Hardest hit industries: Beauty, Restaurant/Bar and Retail.
- Hardest hit business by size: the smallest businesses with sales <$100,000 per year. 55% of these businesses saw declines in sales of > 50%.
- The SBA PPP Loan Program provided some relief, but the smallest businesses were not always able to access these funds.
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The CDP is now offering Office Hours and QuickBooks help using remote tools.
What can we do?
Help you get your record keeping up to date.
Update your business plan
Help you fill out a disaster relief loan application.
Answer questions and provide resources.
Make an appointment to meet with staff via phone, Skype or Zoom.
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GROW Information Sessions
WE CAN and the CDP will again offer the GROW (Get Results with Others' Wisdom) program this fall. This program for women business owners offers facilitated peer mentoring, accountability, and a safe and confidential setting to work on adapting, stabilizing and/or growing your business in this new economy. The GROW program is facilitated by experienced business owners.
Please register for one of these info sessions to learn more:
Thursday August 13 at 9:00 am
Tuesday August 25 at 6:30 pm
All info sessions will be held remotely via Zoom. The CDP can provide Technical Assistance if you have not used Zoom before.
The GROW program is facilitated by WE CAN volunteers Virginia Auciello Sullivan and Jean Mojo. Virginia is the President of Auciello Associates, a trainer for Non- Profit Management, a Certified Professional Coach, and has devoted her career to fostering individual growth and development for her clients. Jean is an experienced leader of brands and agencies, with a background in advertising and integrated marketing. She was the President and CEO of Einson Freeman for 21 years, and has been an adjunct professor at both Boston College and Cape Cod Community College.
Please register for the information sessions by calling WE CAN at 508-430-8111 or email
Marina Mendoza
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The summits began in November 2018 when CARE for the Cape & Islands, along with the Center for Coastal Studies and Cape Cod Anti-Litter Coalition, brought more than 50 people together for “CARE About a Clean Cape & Islands: Protecting our Environment from Plastic Pollution and Litter.” Participants represented local Chambers of Commerce, NGOs, businesses and government agencies, all with the goal to work collaboratively toward solutions.
The summit participants created five working groups to focus on key issues between summit meetings. The Cooperative Purchasing Working Group formed to assist businesses by identifying environmentally-friendly products and provide information on where they may be purchased. The group hopes to establish a means to reduce costs for local businesses in the future by facilitating bulk purchasing. This Buying Guide is the first step toward achieving its goals. We would especially like to thank Christine Shreves of the Wellfleet Recycling Committee and Stephanie Murphy of Woods Hole Sea Grant for all their efforts to complete this guide.
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Upcoming Workshops
Each year we put a hold on small business workshops in the summer while business owners are working in their businesses. This year is no exception....
We are working on our fall programming and plan to start announcing those programs in our August Inside Scoop.
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Loans
The CDP has micro loans up to $50,000 for small businesses on the Lower Cape. Visit our
website
for complete program details and eligibility requirements.
We are able to lend to businesses that have a limited credit history, are too new to obtain a bank loan or that need help developing a business plan or cash flow projections. We even work with local banks offering loan packaging to potential applicants.
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The CDP offers Individual Business Guidance in a number of ways.
How can we help your business?
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Individual Business Guidance
Are you self-employed, a solopreneur or a small business owner, and live or work on the Lower Cape?
The CDP offers individual business guidance for all types of businesses.
What are your business needs?
Make an appointment to meet with CDP Staff via remote tools.
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Professional Services Grants Still Available for 2020.
The CDP has Grant funds available for customized consulting services for small business clients on the Lower Cape who meet the eligibility criteria. These business owners will be able to hire specialized consultants to work on a pre-approved scope of services that will result in business stabilization, growth, and job preservation and/or creation.
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Individual Mentoring through SCORE
SCORE offers individual mentoring across the Cape. The CDP partners with SCORE to offer mentoring on the Lower Cape. Mentors meet with individual business owners in Eastham instead of requiring travel to Hyannis.
Upcoming Mentoring Sessions
Ongoing remote meetings can be set up with Cape Cod Mentors at your request. Please register with SCORE using the link below or
email the CDP.
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The CDP's small business and technical assistance programs are made possible by the following funders:
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Mass Growth Capital Corporation
USDA Rural Business Development Grant
Cape Air
Cape Cod Five Charitable Foundation Trust
TD Charitable Foundation
Santander Bank
Seamen's Bank Long Point Charitable Foundation
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This institution is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
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