Month: November 2020

How this family-run cider business is breaking even during a pandemic | CNN

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Just surviving will be a huge success for most small businesses this year.

And few expect to break even given all that’s happened as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Yet Meriwether Cider in Boise, Idaho, is on track to meet that mark, thanks in large part to Covid-related federal assistance, according to Ann Leadbetter, who owns the business with her husband and two daughters.

Also helpful: Meriwether Cider makes money a few ways, so while some lines of revenue took a hit, others went up. Sales are down at its two sit-down venues — a cider house in downtown Boise and a smaller tap room at its bottling facility in nearby Garden City. So are its sales to bars and restaurants. But the company has made more from its distribution to grocery stores and the curbside pickup it now offers customers.

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Apple to pay $113 million in ‘batterygate’ settlement | CNN

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Apple has agreed to pay millions of dollars to 34 states over its controversial previous practice of deliberately slowing down older iPhones to extend their battery life.

The company will pay $113 million to settle an investigation by states including California and Arizona over how Apple wasn’t transparent about its iPhone battery problems that led to unexpected device shutdowns. Instead of disclosing the issue to consumers or replacing the batteries, it pushed a software update in December 2016 that impacted the performance of older iPhone models.

News of the practice upset Apple (AAPL) consumers, igniting what some called “batterygate.” Many believed it was an effort to encourage users to buy new iPhones.

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Here’s all the buzz about honeybees | Live Science

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The domestic honeybee (Apis mellifera), also frequently spelled “honey bee” and known scientifically as the European or western honeybee, is the most common of the nine species of honey-producing bees. It is native to Africa, Europe and the Middle East, according to the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, but humans have introduced domestic honeybees around the world and it’s the only honeybee in the United States.

Honeybees are social insects. They live in large colonies that include a single adult queen bee and tens of thousands of female worker bees, whose numbers change with the seasons, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The queen bee is the only bee that lays eggs. Male honeybees, called drones, are only seen during the spring mating season and hatch from unfertilized eggs. The female worker bees, on the other hand, hatch from eggs that have been fertilized by drones.

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Government Grants for Small Businesses | businessnewsdaily.com

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A small business grant is essentially free money given to a small business owner to help them launch, develop or expand their organization. Grants, unlike a loan, do not have to be paid back, but they often come with restrictions on how the money can be spent.

Just because a grant is free money, doesn’t mean it is easy to get. It takes a lot of time and preparation to apply for a grant, and they are highly competitive, so small businesses should only apply for grants they are eligible for.

Entrepreneurs and small business owners can seek a variety of grants, like private grants from corporations and government grants from federal, state, and local governments. Grants are also available for specific industries and demographics; for example, if you are a minority business owner, there are several minority-owned business grants specifically geared toward you.

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7 Ways To Get Back Up After A Major Failure | Life Hack

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Every one of us knows how devastating failure can be—seeing your business go belly up, missing the pass mark that would have gotten you that coveted scholarship, getting fired from your job, not making the cut into the team after training all year, and so on.

Experiencing a major failure comes with a lot of pain. Failure crushes you, messes up your self-esteem, and leaves you demoralized and feeling like you are not worth anything.

What’s even worse is the fact that moving forward after a major failure is not any easier. However, if you want to go on and have a fulfilling life, you cannot let failure hold you back. The important thing is that you move on from failure and learn how to get back up.

Question is, how do you do it?

Here are 7 ways you can get back up after a major failure.

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How to get HBO Max on Fire TV devices | Fast Company

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Amazon has buried the hatchet with AT&T’s WarnerMedia and will bring HBO Max to Fire TV devices on Tuesday, November 17. Fire TV users can find the app by saying “Alexa, open HBO Max.”

HBO Max launched in late May, with an expanded catalog of movies and shows for the same $15 per month price as HBO alone. But until now, the service hasn’t been available on Fire TV devices. As Variety reported in July, a main point of contention was Amazon’s Prime Video Channels store, which already distributes HBO to roughly five million subscribers. WarnerMedia wanted Amazon to stop selling those subscriptions, while Amazon wanted its existing subscribers to get the broader Max catalog.

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Overcome Cold-Calling Jitters | AllBusiness.com

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I can remember this moment as if it were yesterday, yet it was over 30 years ago. I sat in my car, parked in front of a prospect where I was planning to make a cold call. But instead of opening the car door and walking to the lobby, I sat there immobilized by my fear of cold calling.

Was I in danger? Of course not! But I was too scared to move. And that’s what sales call reluctance, also known as sales call jitters, can do to you.

If you are just starting out in your new career in sales, or if you’ve been selling for a while but still suffer from cold-calling jitters now and then, here’s how you can overcome sales call reluctance and get the sale.

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5 Ways to Stand Out in a Saturated Market | Small Business Trends

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Fit in? Or stand out? Most startups and small businesses would opt for the latter. Nonetheless, it’s notoriously tough to avoid blending into the crowd in saturated markets.

That’s not to say being distinctive is a unicorn dream. Plenty of companies have solved the riddle of how to attract attention in a crowded field. Take Amazon. It’s certainly not the first online retailer; it’s just the one that broke the mold by being totally different.

Stand Out in a Saturated Market

If you want your brand to be memorable, consider applying the following strategies to your everyday workflow. Each idea can help your organization woo attention from the competition in genuine, and often clever, ways.

1. Give away your industry knowledge.

You’re an expert in what you do. In fact, your whole team’s backed by years of expertise. Don’t hide what you know: Flaunt it, “humble brag” style.

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What Is a Credit Line? | business.com

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Learn what a business credit line is, what type of business credit lines are available and when you should use each option.

Lack of capital and cash flow remains a major concern for most small businesses. In fact, it ranked first on the list of top challenges faced by small business owners in Guidant Financial’s 2020 Small Business Trends survey. Many small business owners are turning to a business credit line to address their funding needs.

What is a line of credit?

A line of credit is a way for businesses and individuals to borrow the funds they need to make purchases and pay bills or other expenses, such as employee salaries. The line of credit on a business credit card can also be used as a cash advance.

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