Mesa just launched a new program to help small and micro enterprises. Arizona’s third-largest city is targeting businesses with fewer than 25 employees that are technology challenged or have a hard time getting traditional loans or other resources.

Many Arizonans are left without a financial buffer as unemployment benefits expired this week. But business owners have been anxiously anticipating the end date, hoping the deadline will drive people back to work. The expiration could not come fast enough for some business owners.

Buckeye is offering grants to businesses looking to spruce up their buildings. The city’s Catalyst Program focuses on existing commercial, industrial or mixed-use properties.

Prior to the pandemic, restaurants operated on razor-thin profit margins, so maximizing the profitability of every table, chair and square foot of the business space is key to keeping an operation afloat. The challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic have forced traditional business models to accommodate social distancing while maintaining the maximum dining capacity. One of the solutions is the “streatery.”

While traffic has picked up at many Valley restaurants, that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re doing well financially. And some local independent restaurant owners are counting on Congress for help.
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Phoenix Public Library is offering new programs for entrepreneurs with specific interests.

Offering higher wages, retention bonuses and extra time off are some ways employers are dealing with a tight labor market.
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Roosevelt Row Community Development Corporation offers key takeaways from recent survey.

More 320,000 private sector jobs in Arizona have been lost since February 2020 — and so far only 78% of them have been recovered. Because shopping habits changed during the pandemic to be more online focused, the trade and transportation sector had been growing.