Home Business Magazine Winter 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted many business areas necessary for succeeding as a small business owner. These areas include sales, marketing, business operations, social media, and technology. One major area is financial management. Our cover story for this Winter 2021 issue will help you to meet the financial challenges brought by these uncertain times. “Always look for ways to diversify your company, particularly to strengthen it against negative pandemic effects.” An essential part of finance for a new business is start-up funding. Overall, the pandemic has reduced available capital through traditional funding sources (personal loans, credit cards, financial institution lending, etc.). This creates huge challenges. But all of the additional government funding, such as disaster loans and other lending sources, does provide opportunity for start-ups to access funding. Small businesses that have accessed…

It was bushels of apples after an afternoon in an orchard that prompted Diana Blaylock to launch her business, Mama’s Best Bakery, in 2017. She started by selling apple pies on Facebook and business took off from there. The pandemic didn’t slow things down; instead, she found herself busy baking bread and other comfort foods from her home kitchen in Twin Falls, Idaho. During Covid, “people have been eating their feelings,” she says. In order to truly grow and scale her bakery, though, Blaylock needs funding. She tried a crowdfunding campaign, but with no real guidance or experience, it failed. The Idaho Women’s Business Center connected her with Crowdfund Better (via their collaboration called Crowdfund Idaho) which is guiding her through the steps to create a new campaign, and she’s optimistic that…

http://www.boyziimen.com/When you think of R&B, one of the first groups that comes to mind is Boyz II Men (http://www.boyziimen.com). Throughout their illustrious career that spans almost three decades, they have sold a whopping 64 million albums and are renowned as the best-selling R&B group of all time. Boyz II Men have also earned many accolades, including 4 Grammy Awards, 9 American Music Awards, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame! Now, the legendary R&B trio is making waves in the non-profit arena with their charity, Boyz II Men House. It is amazing that even though Boyz II Men is very busy with their career — before the COVID-19 pandemic, they’ve held an acclaimed residency at the Mirage Resort and Casino in Las Vegas since 2013 — they still find…

Rather than work a 9-5 job every day, what if you could be your own boss and make your own schedule? That's where business ideas for moms play a major role. Starting a work-at-home endeavor is a rising trend that is only going to become more prevalent, especially with stay-at-home moms. This is because a lot of people appreciate their freedom, even if it means potentially lower wages. That said, sometimes the business is so successful that you wind up earning a lot more than you expected. While every mother's skill set may vary, I can assure you that there's something here for everyone. You just need to be willing to put time and effort into your business plan. Of course, the income, time investment, and difficulty of setting up the new business varies…

Norm McLaughlin spent the first eleven years of his career in industry as a well-paid engineer. But Norm wanted to do something different. He took a significant pay cut and moved to an entirely different role in a non-profit organization. Norm had twelve great years there before the itch to take on a new challenge set in. With his background in engineering, he’d always enjoyed sorting out people’s computer problems, and as he did so, some would suggest that this was something he could do professionally. So an idea was birthed. Norm decided to launch his own computer repair business. He registered a business name, acquired a domain, and began working on a website. Looking back now, he realizes he really had little idea about much of what he was doing, but…

As one of the founding partners of Innovative Dining Group (IDG), Lee Maen is a true visionary in the restaurant scene. Maen and IDG have launched some of the most successful and legendary restaurants in the Los Angeles, Scottsdale, and Las Vegas markets, such as Katana in West Hollywood and Sushi Roku (which pioneered the modern sushi movement). IDG also boasts international establishments, such as BOA Steakhouse in Abu Dhabi. Lee Maen brings extraordinary real estate and business talents to IDG, enabling the company to continuously expand their horizons. Home Business Magazine had the opportunity to catch up with Maen, who discussed the characteristics of a successful restaurant, tips for entrepreneurs who want to enter the hospitality industry amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, and more. Home Busines Magazine (HBM): Could you tell us…