Blog
November 10, 2020
Since early spring, many parts of our lives changed dramatically “in the middle of a pandemic,” but for most of us, starting a major business was not one of those changes. Grant Broom did just that, launching College H.U.N.K.S. Hauling Junk & Moving, based out of Derry, NH, just as the state was under lockdown orders from the governor. H.U.N.K.S, stands for Honest, Uniformed, Nice, Knowledgeable Service, Broom explains, and the pandemic turned out to be a boon to his first few months in...
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November 10, 2020
As a pilot for more than 30 years, Steve Cunningham knows all too well what it feels like to be a mile high and cruising blissfully among the clouds. As an instructor and the owner of National Flight Simulator (NFS) in Manchester, he also knows the importance of being prepared for unexpected turbulence.
With the help of the NH SBDC, Steve was able to navigate the rough weather COVID-19 has brought and keep his business operating during a turbulent time for many small businesses, especially...
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November 4, 2020
Over $80K of booked work was wiped from my business in the months of March, April, and May. At the time of the shutdown, 95 percent of our programs were delivered face-to-face and involved traveling to other states. I have revamped many of my programs to now be delivered virtually. I also used this slow time to upgrade my website, something I had been meaning to do for years.
This client story is part of NH SBDC's ongoing collection of COVID Creativity stories about businesses surviving...
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October 28, 2020
Rose Padfield was never thinking about turning off the lights on her business even during the challenging times the COVID-19 pandemic brought to small businesses throughout New Hampshire. She just wanted them to stop flickering.
We’re talking about the lights for the sign that stands outside Rose’s Manchester business, Paul’s Car Care on Elm Street, that is.
“I just could never get them lit right,” Rose said. “I felt like I had to babysit them all the time. They were high maintenance...
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October 15, 2020
Were we an essential business? Were our customers (garden centers and landscapers throughout Northern New England) essential? Fifty percent of our sales happens April through June. We wouldn’t survive if we were shut down during those months. It was an…ominous time.
Then, to our surprise, gardening became a craze. We literally sent the crew home for one day and brought them back the next. We began to joke that plants were the new toilet paper.
This client story is part of NH SBDC...
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October 14, 2020
If your business was not fully prepared to deal with the extraordinary challenges posed by COVID-19, you were not alone. Planning for disaster is no longer optional and there is a clear need for resiliency planning for the future. The SBDC has responded by teaming with UNH Extension to introduce the Resiliency Academy, which will kick off this fall with Planning for Resiliency, a free webinar on October 21 and October 27.
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October 5, 2020
Employee Stock Ownership Plans, known as ESOPs, is a business development strategy which elevates vested employees to employee owners. Employees of ESOP-owned companies demonstrate higher productivity, engagement, satisfaction, and retention than workers at non-ESOP companies. ESOP-owned companies receive tax benefits and reap strong profits.
This introduction is the first in a series of blog articles about ESOPs by Alexandra Kirade, a Master's student at UNH's Carsey School of...
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September 15, 2020
For a catering business, things were pretty grim in April. Nobody needs a caterer unless there’s a gathering. Executive Chef Jay Curcio and his wife, Liz, own and run The White Apron, serving the Seacoast area of New Hampshire out of Dover. “I’d feel a lot worse if it was just us,” he admitted back then. “But I just haven’t been able to wrap my head around this. I have no control. There’s nothing I can do except hang out and wait.”
By mid-July, however, Jay was able to say, “It looks like...
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July 13, 2020
“The goal of the Business Resiliency Survey was to better understand the challenges and needs of small businesses across the state so we can more effectively help them recover, reopen and become more resilient,” said Liz Gray, state director of the NH SBDC. “Fifty-six business organizations representing a wide range of industries, business associations and regions partnered with us to ensure we heard from as many businesses as possible.” Over all, 1,549 businesses in 172 cities and towns...
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June 10, 2020
We are thrilled to announce our summer 2020 Social Innovation Intern, Jordyn Kafka! Jordyn is a master’s student at the University of New Hampshire’s Carsey School of Public Policy. She will be advancing our Business Sustainability Program by helping small businesses engage in energy-efficient practices through new and curated resources. We look forward to working with Jordyn this summer, and extend a special thanks to Eversource and UNH’s Social Innovation Program for making this possible!
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