Tag: Business

According to the NIH, in early 2020, the number of active businesses dropped in the US by 22%.  Latinx business owner activity dropped by an astounding 32% and women-owned businesses also took disproportional losses of 25%.

Like other residential construction businesses, by early 2021, Yayis Service LLC, saw their revenue decline as homeowners postponed projects due to the pandemic and material expenses continued to increase.  After several years of running a successful business, Yayis Service LLC owner, Elizabeth Sevilla, decided to reach out to our Business Opportunity Center Small Business Development (SBD) program to see how she could help her business cope with the pandemic.

To her relief, SBD walked Elizabeth through all of the requirements for eligibility of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), a government funded program that provides low interest rates turned into grants through the Small Business Administration.  Through one-on-one conversations, SBD helped her navigate the process, in Spanish.  Together, they completed the application, from documentation gathering to contract signing.  The SBA approved Elizabeth for a $19,400 loan at 1% interest rate.  This allowed Elizabeth to keep her team on and fund payroll and continue her business.  

Beyond navigating the process together, the SBD kept in touch with Elizabeth to ensure Yayis Service LLC was keeping records of its spending on eligible expenses, such as payroll.

In January 2022, Elizabeth became eligible to apply for forgiveness of her SBA loan. SBD guided Elizabeth on the forgiveness application process and she was indeed approved for loan forgiveness.  Thanks to the PPP and its forgiveness program, Elizabeth was able apply for a $19,400 loan, apply for forgiveness, and successfully turn her loan into a business grant – meaning no money owed!