The Louisiana Small Business Development Center (LSBDC) at Southeastern has implemented two different initiatives, a webinar series and a radio talk show, to help local businesses survive and thrive through the COVID-19 pandemic.
The first series provided information on the Small Business Administration Economic Injury Disaster Loan (SBA EIDL) program, which offered economic relief to businesses experiencing a temporary loss of revenue. Attendees were able to ask questions and receive practical information on the program and how to fill out the application. These 1.5-hour online workshops, titled SBA Disaster Loan, were held daily from March 30 to April 15 and received a total of 689 attendees.
“At a time when it was easy to be focused on the loss of momentum for the small business community, LSBDC at Southeastern wanted to support statewide businesses as much as possible, giving them the knowledge they needed to make the best decisions about their business loan options,” said Director of the Southeastern LSBDC Bill Joubert.
The second webinar series focused on the CARES Act, which provided fast and direct economic assistance for American workers, families, and small businesses, and the Payroll Protection Program, a loan designed to provide direct incentive for small businesses to keep their workers on the payroll. The series was held daily March 30 through May 1 with 841 businesses participating in and benefiting from these online workshops.
Additionally, Southeastern LSBDC has been co-hosting a radio talk show with WTGG Tangi 96.5 in Hammond and The Highway 104.7 in Covington. Titled Let’s Talk Recovery, the program airs live on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. Conversations include sanitation practices, marketing, employees, financial situations, and more. Listeners can call in with comments or questions to 985.419.0965 or email [email protected].
By mid-May Southeastern LSBDC had additionally logged 376 individual sessions with 312 hours of assistance provided to small businesses.
