Small Business Trends During COVID-19

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 There are the trends we read about in journals and newspapers and then there are the observations we make from our own perspective - and they don't always match. Throughout this pandemic, we have been able to see with our own eyes the businesses that have closed temporarily or permanently. Friends can tell us how they have been affected by COVID-19 and it is no surprise. 

While we see all these outward signs of a shrinking back, there are also indicators of new growth. We have been busy despite COVID-19. This article in Forbes describes what we have seen as supporters of small business owners: Small businesses were hit hard by COVID-19 but there were also a staggering number of new business starts.

Small Business Struggle While New Businesses Surge: A Paradox?

by Dane Stangler
"Existing small businesses continue to struggle. New entrepreneurs are seeking opportunities. That is what the data appears to be saying about the state of small business and entrepreneurship amidst the third Covid-19 wave.

... 

   Applications for employer identification numbers (EINs) are breaking all sorts of records.  




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