Lunch & Learn: Access to Capital & Resources for Small Business
Wednesday, April 27th – 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Join Tim Kehoe, Director of Strategic Partnerships & Initiatives at ECDI to learn more about small businesses resources and programs available through ECDI.
Listen in over your lunch time to learn about:
- Entrepreneurial education and advising opportunities for new or established businesses throughout Ohio
- Business support programs including Women’s Business Centers of Ohio, Minority Contractor Resource Center, Food Business Incubation, & Social Enterprise Hub
- Small Business Lending programs, who is eligible, and the process for applying
- Training tools and resources available to small business owners
Presenter
Tim Kehoe serves as Director of Strategic Partnerships after joining ECDI in 2015 as Portfolio Manager focused on post-loan technical assistance for ECDI’s lending clients. His career started as an entrepreneur, and experienced both the upside and the risk of starting a small business. He has spent his career working for and with small businesses across a wide range of industries. Combining this experience with knowledge of lending programs proves to be a valuable mix of expertise for entrepreneurs needing guidance and assistance.
Back to Business – Piqua
Mainstreet Piqua
The Mainstreet Piqua team captures local business owners’ excitement at reopening with a photo series. The smiling business owners stand in the doorways of shops and restaurants holding “OPEN” signs with precautions listed underneath.
This photo series is one way Piqua businesses have responded and adapted to the restrictions of COVID-19. From encouraging the community on social media to practicing the flexibility typical of small businesses, Mainstreet Piqua has earned both revenue and community support.
The “Open” posters are the combined effort of Mainstreet Piqua, the local chamber of commerce, and the community development organization to prepare businesses to reopen.
“It has generated an incredible amount of traffic on our Facebook page and a lot of love for the businesses,” says Lorna Swisher, executive director of Mainstreet Piqua. “It’s been a very successful way to celebrate the reopening of the businesses.”
Prior to reopening, Swisher says local businesses incorporated local deliveries, online orders and shopping appointments into their business practices.
“The businesses all pivoted very well and really tried to meet their customers where they were at,” she says. “They just rolled with it and made it work for the customer.”
Swisher and the Mainstreet Piqua team have frequently reached out to their members through phone and email.
“As an organization, our goal is to support our businesses as much as we can and to encourage the community to realize the value that these businesses bring to the community,” she says. “When these businesses go away, a part of our community is lost forever.”
She says the local businesses are supporting each other; because they are independent, they know how difficult it is for a business to start out.
Local business owners are relieved to start opening their doors again. Swisher says people will come in and support the business if they know the business cares for the safety of their customers and employees.
“They all do genuinely care,” she says, “If they’re able to show that, I believe that they will be supported by the residents and visitors to the community.”
COVID-19 Resources for Ohio Main Streets and Downtowns
Videos
- Best Practices for Downtowns in Crisis – Watch our webinar from March 20th to learn what actions are being taken in some of Ohio’s Main Street communities in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis.
Health Information
- State of Ohio – See the latest informational updates on the virus and find more information on the latest orders issued by the state government.
- Centers for Disease Control & Prevention – Find the latest information on the virus and how to slow its spread.
Business & Community Assistance
- Small Business Administration – Find more information on business resources during the pandemic and apply for disaster loans when they become available for Ohio (check the site for the current areas of Ohio allowed to apply).
- Ohio Restaurant Association – Find resources specifically for restaurants being impacted.
- Main Street America – They have put together resources for Main Street programs to use to help their communities.
- SharedWork Ohio– SharedWork Ohio is a program through the State of Ohio to prevent layoffs.
- Ohio Chamber of Commerce– The Ohio Chamber of Commerce has several updates and resources for businesses.
Things You Can Be Doing to Help Your Community
- Do the Five
- Hands: Wash them often.
- Elbow: Cough into it.
- Face: Don’t touch it.
- Feet: Stay more than 3 ft. apart.
- Feel: Sick? Stay home.
- Check in on the vulnerable – Make sure the vulnerable populations in your community – the homeless, the elderly, those with immunity concerns – are getting the information and assistance they need.
- Organize virtual meeting spaces for businesses – We are all in this together and we need to make sure questions are being answered for the businesses that are being impacted by the pandemic.
- Share useful information on social media with your networks
- Share which restaurants are still open for pick-up and delivery.
- Share where children and their families can get food and other assistance.
- Share health-related information from verified sources only.
- Talk with your local, state, and federal elected officials – They need to hear from everyone what we need to get through this and what will be needed in the near future once the pandemic comes to an end.
- Donate Blood – The Red Cross needs blood donations now and you have a little more time on your hands. They set up a page to explain donation during this time and how you can schedule.
Organizational Fundraising
- How to Raise Revenue in Response to COVID-19 – Stansbury Consulting put together this informational sheet to help non-profits confront the challenges of fundraising during the pandemic.