Category: News and Views

Bank Approvals for Non-PPP Loans Increase Slightly | Small Business Trends

~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Loan approval rates for small businesses are increasing slightly. The uptick in lending of non-PPP loans to small businesses was unveiled in the latest Biz2Credit Small Business Lending Index based on March 2021 figures. Since mid-January, Biz2Credit has been a leading processor of PPP applications in the US.

The amount of lending by big banks increased to 13.5% in March 2021. The increase is welcoming news for the small business community, as in February 2021, the figure stood at 13.3%. This was just a 0.1% rise from January 2021.

Read More

Pandemic-Era Shipping Delays and Product Scarcity to Last Through Summer | Inc.com

~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

When the Covid-19 crisis first hit, demand plummeted for Romy Taormina’s flagship product, a band travelers wear on their wrists to ease nausea. Now that travel is coming back, her business is being whipsawed by the same supply issues that marked the start of the global pandemic.

“We are doing our best to weather this Covid storm and catch the wave to the other side. But it’s been a ride,” says Taormina, the CEO and founder of Psi Health Solutions, the Pacific Grove, California-based maker of Psi Bands.

Her exasperation is felt by small-business owners across a range of industries in the U.S. Besides the global microchip shortage, which President Biden recently called a “national security issue,” electricians can’t source the little plastic boxes they need to rewire light fixtures. Contractors are reporting a 200 percent surge in the price of lumber. Even the supply of Taiwanese tapioca is drying up.

Read More

Pausing the J&J Vaccine Was Easy. Unpausing Will Be Hard | WIRED

~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

DESPITE THE HASTILY called press conference on Tuesday, the late-night meetings, and the growing worry over a potentially fatal side effect, the decision to pause the use of one of the three Covid-19 vaccines available in the United States was a relatively easy one.

Figuring out how to unpause, though—that’s going to be a lot trickier.

The public health community had some hope that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention might find a fast path through the data fog. But that vanished late Wednesday, when an emergency meeting of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices ended without a recommendation. Amid a global pandemic and a race for mass vaccinations, the pause continues pausing.

Read More

Nike seeks to recycle your tennis shoes and resell them at a more affordable price | Entrepreneur

~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The shoe and sportswear company, Nike, announced on Monday an initiative that seeks to recycle footwear and thus avoid waste. What does it consist of? Sneakers that are short-lived or have a manufacturing defect will be accepted at select US stores. Afterwards, they are in charge of cleaning, disinfecting and restoring them to later be put up for sale at a lower price.

Currently, this service is offered in eight Nike stores in the United States, with plans to expand it to 15 more by the end of April and a few more by the end of the year in other parts of the world. However, they have not yet specified where it will be.

Read More

Will The Online Travel Industry Recover? | Getentrepreneurial.com

~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Technology has made our life easier and more comfortable, and it has revolutionized the travel industry. Nowadays, travelers like to plan and book their trips online via a mobile app or website without human interaction.

It is known that travelers are keen to use social media platforms, mobile application and websites to explore their destinations and technology is an important factor in every sector.

It is estimated the online travel industry reached nearly $755 billion in 2019 at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.9 percent since 2015. Overall, the online travel booking accounted for 63 percent of the approximately $1.2 trillion the travel industry generates every year. Around 82 percent of travelers book online using a website or mobile app, and an appropriate 0.27 percent of the world’s online spending comes from the travel industry.

Read More

Apple and Google block UK COVID app update for breaking data-sharing rules | Mashable

~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Google and Apple have blocked an update to the UK government’s COVID-19 contact tracing app for breaching privacy terms, the BBC reports.

The update, which was expected to roll out in time with the lifting of national lockdown on Monday, would have requested users who tested positive for COVID-19 to upload their history of venue check-ins. The app, used in England and Wales, has long operated with a feature that allows users to check in to a shop, pub, restaurant, or other venue using a QR code — some are required by law to display official NHS QR code posters and collect contact details, while others are encouraged.

Read More

ELD Mandate Guide | businessnewsdaily.com

~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The ELD mandate is designed to ensure drivers aren’t being overworked in an effort to keep roadways safe.

Electronic logging devices (ELDs) are hardware solutions that are installed in vehicles and track information regarding engine activity, driver shift times and driver rest requirements.

ELDs are required for fleets of all sizes, so long as the vehicles and businesses meet certain requirements.

The ELD mandate has been in effect since 2019.

This article is for all small business owners looking to better understand how the ELD mandate affects their business.

Businesses operating a commercial vehicle fleet have more to worry about than just how well its cars and trucks are running. They also have to be concerned with the safety of their drivers. To help ensure businesses are focused on driver safety, the U.S. government requires certain fleet operators to install electronic logging devices (ELDs) in their vehicles. Not complying with these laws can result in significant fines. That’s why small businesses with a commercial fleet need to understand the ELD mandate, whether it applies to their operation and, if it does, how they will adhere to these laws.

Read More

Covid: Trials to begin for return of England mass events | BBC News

~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The government is to trial a series of measures in England, including Covid passports, to allow the safe return of sports matches, events and nightclubs.

Passes would show if a person had been vaccinated, had a recent negative test, or natural immunity.

Trial events in the coming months will also explore how ventilation and testing before and after could help crowds return.

Any use of passes would be “time-limited”, the sports minister has said.

Read More

Amazon addresses pee bottle denial tweet | TechCrunch

~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Amazon kicked off the holiday weekend by backtracking slightly on a social media offensive that unfolded in the waning days of a historic unionization vote. The earlier comments reportedly arrived as Jeff Bezos was pushing for a more aggressive strategy.

Along with taking on Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, the Amazon News Twitter account went toe to toe with Congressman, Mark Pocan. The Wisconsin Democrat cited oft-reported stories of Amazon workers urinating in bottles in reaction to comments from Consumer CEO, Dave Clark.

“You don’t really believe the peeing in bottles thing, do you?” the account asked. “If that were true, nobody would work for us. The truth is that we have over a million incredible employees around the world who are proud of what they do, and have great wages and health care from day one.”

Read More