Overcoming entrepreneurial hardships as a small business owner

Welcome to Midnight Oil: Resources & Tips! This week's edition features tips for taking on financial challenges, planning for retirement, and the pros and cons of entrepreneurship.

This is the condensed version of CO- by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s weekly Midnight Oil newsletter. Sign up to receive the full version packed with small business news you can use.

Top Tip of the Week

"Entrepreneurship is hard enough. The way to make it less difficult is to do something that comes from an authentic place."— Tristan Walker, founder & CEO of grooming brand Bevel and parent company Walker & Company.

Weather financial uncertainty with CO–

Navigating the business world post-pandemic has proved to be a challenge, especially financially. When dealing with issues from inflation to supply chain disruption to staffing hardships, it is incredibly easy for one to get lost in the shuffle.

In last week's Start. Run. Grow: Weathering Financial Uncertainty episode, professionals from several businesses gave insight into how they are managing the current financial challenges and ways you can, too. Tune in to the recap that tackles economic uncertainty, the benefits (and pitfalls) of entrepreneurship, and making it all work for your small business.

Food for Thought

According to a SCORE report, 34% of small business owners do not have retirement savings plans. However, it's never too early to start saving for the future – reach your goals and track your progress by taking these steps to prepare for retirement.

Grant Opportunities

• Financing company Nav offers quarterly grant competitions with a grand prize of $10,000. This quarter’s round of applications is now open until the end of April. To enter, business owners must sign up to be Nav members (which is free) and then use social media accounts to promote their personalized voting links. The business with the most customer votes will win the grand prize. To enter, visit the grant page.
• Hello Alice recently launched round two of the Small Business Growth Fund. Fifty small business owners will be awarded $5,000 grants and must apply by May 20. Find more eligibility requirements on the grant announcement page.?

Find more small business grants and funding opportunities here.

The CO— Corner

Dream Big Awards 2022

Apply for a chance to win $25,000 and celebrate the success of your small business by signing up for the Dream Big Awards. Applications close July 8.

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