Category Archives: SBA

Business & Worker Newsletter

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What you should know about

Business Grants

April 9 deadline for Working Washington Grants: Round 4

The application portal is still open! This program is administered by the state Department of Commerce and focuses on brick-and-mortar for-profit small businesses, especially those that were required to close due to public health and safety measures. Grant awards will be up to $25,000. Visit commercegrants.com for information. Materials are available in multiple languages and technical assistance teams are ready to help with questions.

WSDA COVID-19 Relief and Recovery Grants for ag-related sectors

The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) is offering grants to small agriculture-related businesses in sectors that have suffered economically due to the coronavirus pandemic, but have been left out of earlier relief programs.

The WSDA Relief and Recovery grants, funded through a partnership with the state Department of Commerce, are intended to assist small businesses in four agriculture sectors, which include:

  • Shellfish growers
  • Farmers market organizations
  • Agritourism farms
  • Small breweries, cideries, wineries, and distilleries that depend on tap and tasting room sales

The application period for the WSDA grants will be open for two weeks, beginning as soon as Friday, April 9. Visit agr.wa.gov/grants to learn more.

Small Business Administration’s Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program launches this week

The Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) program includes over $16 billion in grants to shuttered venues, to be administered by SBA’s Office of Disaster Assistance. The application portal is scheduled to open Thursday, April 8.

Eligible entities include:

  • Live venue operators or promoters
  • Theatrical producers
  • Live performing arts organization operators
  • Relevant museum operators, zoos and aquariums who meet specific criteria
  • Motion picture theater operators
  • Talent representatives

More information about eligibility and the application process are available here.

What you should know about…

COVID-19 Response

COVID-19 vaccine distribution update

The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) continues to make progress with their COVID-19 vaccine distribution and administration efforts.

As of March 29, more than 3,325,998 doses of vaccine have been given across the state, which is 83% of the 4,006,330 doses that have been delivered to Washington state providers and long-term care programs. Washington is currently averaging 55,894 vaccine doses given each day. This information can be found on the DOH data dashboard under the vaccines tab, which is updated three times per week.

Inslee announces vaccine eligibility expansion to all adults April 15

Gov. Jay Inslee recently announced that effective April 15, all Washingtonians age 16 and up will be eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccination. 

Over the past four months since Washington began administering doses of the vaccination, the state has followed a tiered eligibility system, beginning with those most at risk of hospitalization and death.

The governor and the state Department of Health (DOH) have also prioritized equity issues in each phase to ensure vaccine access to populations disproportionately affected by the virus, including communities of color and low-income communities. 

The expansion of eligibility comes, in part, in response to a recent uptick in COVID cases in the state. 

Find more information on the COVID-19 vaccine here. 

Use the Vaccine Locator tool to register for a vaccination appointment here. 

For DOH’s COVID-19 Information Hotline, dial 1.800.525.0127, then press #. Language assistance is available.

What you should know about…

Resources for small businesses

Washington Requirements and Resources Webinars

“Start a Business in Washington,” is a free, one hour webinar which includes information about business registration and licensing, other regulatory requirements, and resources for further assistance. The webinar is scheduled for April 14 at 2 p.m. Click here for more information and to register online or call 800-917-0043.

Additionally, the free, 90-minute “COVID-19 Impact Webinar” includes the Governor’s Office of Regulatory Innovation and Assistance and the state departments’ of Employment Security, Labor and Industries, and Revenue. These partners provide an overview of resources, updates, emergency rule changes, and other impacts affecting small businesses to create a new successful path forward. Subject matter experts are available online answering questions throughout the webinar.  The webinar is scheduled for April 22 at 2 p.m. Click here for more information and to register online or call 800-917-0043 and the Spanish webinar is at 9:00 a.m. Click here for more information and to register online or call 360-515-6101.

Time is running out! Apply for PPP by Mar 31.

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PPP loan borrowers including schedule C filers have until March 31st to submit 1st Draw or 2nd Draw PPP applications unless funds run out or congress extends the deadline.

Contact your local business lender. Visit smallbizhelpwa for additional info. Or call the new PPP Assistance Line 833.562.1078

As a always Jaime Forsyth, MBA , Certified Business Advisor is a great source for assistance WWU Small Business Development Center(360) 447-8788

View the latest SBA webinar presentation slide deck

News Flash: New PPP Forgiveness Formula for Sole Proprietors & LLC s Deadline Approaching

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Were you a sole proprietor, LLC or independent contractor that was not able to participate in the Paycheck Protection Program because you did not have a significant profit from your business?   If so, you might have the opportunity to access up to around $20,000 in PPP grant (forgiveness) money (up to about $30,000 if you run a restaurant).  But you may only have days to apply for these funds.

The SBA has just released a new PPP forgiveness formula that uses revenue reported on your 2019 or 2020 Schedule C (line 7) rather than net profit (line 31).  In a nutshell, you can now count your revenue as the basis for forgiveness just like employee wages (to a maximum of $100,000/yr).  Engage your accountant in the details.

Please review the scenarios in the attached PDF “Revenue-Based PPP Formula”  to see how this works in practice.

The new PPP application form and SBA FAQ document is also attached for your review.  There are other program requirements of PPP that still apply such as:

  • having been in operation on February 15, 2020
  • documentation of income using tax statements
  • if you use revenue of more than $150,000 as your loan basis you will need to certify to the SBA that “Current economic uncertainty makes this loan request necessary to support the ongoing operations of the Applicant”.

Businesses that are taxed by the IRS as C-Corporations, S-Corporations and Partnerships are not eligible to use the gross income calculation method for calculation the PPP loan amount.  Only businesses that use Schedule C to report their income and expenses to the IRS are eligible.

It appears that these new rules are not retroactive – if you have already received a 2nd round PPP loan you cannot resubmit under these rules.  These rules should be available for anyone who has not gotten a PPP loan, or has only gotten a 1st round loan.

If you are interested, you should apply as soon as possible.  The special small business-only application period expires next Tuesday (March 9th) and the overall deadline for applications is March 31, 2021.  The new stimulus bill going through congress does not significantly increase PPP funding, except for a new program for restaurants.

Since this form was only published on March 3 the banks – where you apply – may not have updated their systems.  Applying could be a chaotic experience and you will want to research multiple options.  You may want to try and reach a customer service representative on the bank’s PPP program.  It is possible that some of the “FinTech” funders like Biz2Credit and Bluevine might be faster off the mark than local banks.

To move forward, download these PDF files… 

  1. PPP Application
  2. Revenue-Based PPP Foregiveness Examples
  3. SBA Changes to PPP Rules


 

SBA Prioritizes Smallest of Small Businesses in the Paycheck Protection Program

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Steps to Promote Equitable Relief for Mom-and-Pop Businesses

Building on a month of strong results, the Biden-Harris Administration and the U.S. Small Business Administration are taking steps with the Paycheck Protection Program to further promote equitable relief for America’s mom-and-pop businesses. 

The latest round of Paycheck Protection Program funding opened one month ago and already the Biden Administration has succeeded in making major improvements to the program’s implementation:

  • For businesses with fewer than ten employees, the share of funding is up nearly 60%
  • For businesses in rural communities, the share of funding is up nearly 30%
  • The share of funding distributed through Community Development Financial Institutions and Minority Depository Institutions is up more than 40%

Continue reading →

Washington State Department of Commerce — Business & Worker Update

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FEB. 10,  2021

The Business and Workers update is a weekly newsletter providing news and information to help businesses and workers navigate the COVID-19 pandemic. The information is compiled by the state Economic Resiliency Team (ERT), part of the Joint Information Center.

What you should know about…

COVID-19 Response

The importance of testing

Vaccine may be in the spotlight right now, and while it’s a crucial tool to eventually help us overcome the pandemic, it’s not the only tool we should be using. We are still relying on things like wearing masks and getting tested to ensure our success in overcoming this pandemic, and we’ll need to keep doing so over the next few months.

Testing is a critical and essential part of the overall COVID-19 response. Identifying and isolating people who have COVID-19, and quarantining those exposed to the virus, are necessary to understanding, responding to, and stopping the spread of infection. Assuring equitable and widespread access to testing with rapid turnaround times for results remains a priority. For us to successfully stop the spread of the virus, it is critical for people to get tested when they have symptoms or when they have been exposed to someone suspected of having COVID-19.

Testing remains a priority. Please, encourage your family and friends to get tested if they’ve been exposed, or if they have symptoms. For more information about testing in Washington state see the state Department of Health’s (DOH) testing page, their updated statewide testing strategy and their testing location resources.

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SBA To Help Small Businesses Impacted by Coronavirus (COVID-19)

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Up to $2 Million in Disaster Assistance Loans

SBA Administrator, Jovita Carranza, issued the following statement today in response to the President’s address to the nation:
“The President took bold, decisive action to make our 30 million small businesses more resilient to Coronavirus-related economic disruptions. Small businesses are vital economic engines in every community and state, and they have helped make our economy the strongest in the world. Our Agency will work directly with state Governors to provide targeted, low-interest disaster recovery loans to small businesses that have been severely impacted by the situation. Additionally, the SBA continues to assist small businesses with counseling and navigating their own preparedness plans through our network of 68 District Offices and numerous Resource Partners located around the country. The SBA will continue to provide every small business with the most effective and customer-focused response possible during these times of uncertainty.”

What is the SBA’s definition of a small business?

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The SBA (Small Business Association) defines a small business as one that is independently owned and operated and is not dominant in its field. Depending on the industry, size standard eligibility is based on the average number of employees for the preceding 12-months or on sales volume averaged over a three-year period. Examples of SBA general size standards include the following:

  • Manufacturing: Maximum number of employees may range from 500 to 1500, depending on the type of product manufactured.
  • Wholesaling: Maximum number of employees may not exceed 100.
  • Services: Annual receipts may not exceed $2.5 to $21.5 million, depending on the particular service being provided.
  • Retailing: Annual receipts may not exceed $5.0 to $21.5 million, depending on the particular product being provided.
  • General & Heavy Construction: General construction annual receipts may not exceed $13.5 to $17 million, depending on the type of construction.
  • Special Trade Construction: Annual receipts may not exceed $7 million.
  • Agriculture: Annual receipts may not exceed $0.5 to $5.0 million, depending on the agricultural product.

Is an SBA loan right for you?

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SBA loan

If you’re starting or growing your small business, you should learn about loans guaranteed by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) as a funding option.

If you apply for an SBA loan, your loan won’t be from the SBA, and you won’t make your payments to the agency. Instead, the SBA approves lenders to provide loans to small businesses under their loan programs. Continue reading →

Considerations and Resources for Small Businesses That Want to Sell Their Products Internationally

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According to the most recent International Trade Association data available through the Small Business Administration, small businesses represent 97.7 percent of the U.S. firms that export goods to other countries. In fact, they account for over one-third of the United States’ known export value.

With business technology ever evolving, expanding our collaboration and communication capabilities, we can assume that more small business owners will want to seize opportunities to extend their customer base beyond U.S borders. With 96 percent of global consumers living outside of the United States (according to the U.S. Department of State), reaching a global market can fuel revenue growth and offer some protection against fluctuations in the U.S. domestic markets. Continue reading →