Small businesses across California are losing customers or being forced to temporarily close their doors to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
California Small Business Owner Highlight

Ten years ago, Sway Soturi woke up to find that her face had swollen “to the size of a watermelon.” After speaking with doctors and friends, she decided to cut out inflammatory ingredients like gluten and dairy from her diet.
After 15 years working in the restaurant industry and battling an eating disorder, Sway had to re-define nutrition and her relationship with food. Over the next few years, she shifted to a wellness mindset becoming a personal trainer and cooking with more natural and local ingredients.
California Events
As you prepare to transition your business into a recovery or growth phase, it is essential that you prepare your financial documentation in the event that you need to apply for a grant or loan.
The influx of relief funding through the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan provides a unique opportunity for growth for small business owners in California.
One year into the pandemic, small business owners are still navigating changing health regulations, ongoing stay at home orders and an influx of funding options.
California Policy
California Research

Nearly a year into the COVID-19 pandemic that has strained California’s economy and public health system, small businesses across the state continue to experience significant financial setbacks. A new survey of California small business owners reveals that their struggles are being exacerbated by challenges accessing capital, and they strongly support policy solutions that would deliver the financial relief they need to survive this year-long crisis.

As the COVID-19 pandemic has raged across the country and resurges in California, small business owners continue grappling with the effects of state and local public health orders and a loss in consumer demand. Nine months into this crisis, California’s small business owners say their businesses have been diminished, leaving them with reduced revenue and operating capacity. They’re making difficult decisions that are impacting the workforce through reduced wages, working hours and employee benefits.

On October 21, Small Business Majority released a new report on small business challenges in hiring and training employees in California and their struggles accessing the broader workforce development ecosystem. The report reveals findings from an online survey of small business owners across the state, as well as separate focus group discussions, interviews and other convenings that provide insights into the ways small business owners approach hiring and training. It also provides recommendations for stakeholders to better engage their local small employers.
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