WFH Spells Opportunity for Local Business...Part-Timer Perks...Free Tech for SMBs

Welcome back to Small Business Straight Talk. I am the editor of CO— by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and each week I bring you the latest news and resources impacting small businesses. Things to know this week…

Work from Home = More Business: Lest you think workers are the only ones benefiting from the work-from-home revolution, you may be surprised to learn that small and local businesses are seeing a boon, too. That’s because when workers stay home to work, their shopping and dining behaviors tend to be more centered around where they’re living, creating opportunities for businesses nearby. Here’s more of what you need to know about how to leverage this “gold mine” of new customers staying closer to home.?

Can You Afford to Offer Child Care Perks? We know that lack of affordable child care is one of the things preventing workers - especially women - from returning to the workforce. And while most small businesses don’t have the resources (or demand) to make offering on-site child care an option, there are plenty of ways even small businesses can help ease the burden of child care for employees. These include offering flexible schedules, or, paradoxically, offering steady schedules to allow parents to schedule child care. I recently interviewed Cheryl Oldham, VP of Education Policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, on workplace parental support and she has a lot of great advice on how you can help your employees and claim a tax credit for your efforts. You can watch that interview and get a summary of the details here .?

Perks for Part-Timers: Though you’re not likely to offer medical benefits to part-time employees, in this hiring market small business owners need to find perks to help attract and hold onto good employees. There are more options than you think. From flex time to wellness perks, here are a few of the unique perks you can offer to part-timers.??

Small Business Tech for Free: Technology is essential to your small business success, but it doesn’t have to be expensive. In fact, most cloud-based SaaS companies offer entry-level plans for startups that are free or pretty darn cheap. Here’s a list of 8 tech tools that you can start using today for free.?

Jeanette Mulvey is a passionate advocate for small business and the Editor in Chief of CO— by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Follow CO— on Instagram !