Keepin’ this one extra short & sweet…
Have all your jobs lined up for the foreseeable future been canceled? Forced to close your business temporarily because of shelter-in-place orders? Choosing not to see clients right now because of social distancing recommendations? Projects were postponed indefinitely because you can’t take an airplane anywhere safely? Unable to work remotely? Cash flow looking seeeeriously tight right now? You may want to consider applying for one of the various small business emergency loans that are available to you.
(Yes, YOU, the sole proprietor/no employees/payroll adverse/self-employed individual)
And, due to provisions in the recently passed CARES bill, you may also may be qualified to receive unemployment benefits.
I will go into this more in-depth in my upcoming, full-length newsletter (coming to an inbox near you this Friday) but for now, here are the links to apply for ALL. THE. THINGS.
SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans and Loan Advance: https://www.sba.gov/page/disaster-loan-applications
(you can request to receive up to $10k in immediate funds while your application is processed – make sure to check the box!)
Illinois Small Business Emergency Loan Fund
https://coronavirus.illinois.gov/s/resources-for-business
(open to all Illinois businesses)
Chicago Small Business Resiliency Fund
https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/sites/covid-19/home/chicago-small-business-resiliency-fund.html
(you must have a Chicago based business that’s been around for at least 1 year to qualify)
Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES – unemployment benefits)
https://www2.illinois.gov/ides/Pages/default.aspx
(must be an Illinois resident)*
*if you’re not an Illinois resident, search the internet for the unemployment office in your home state to apply for benefits
Finally, here’s a good resource for the latest information on Covid-19 and summarizes the CARES Act (all politics aside): https://schakowsky.house.gov/coronavirus
Be safe, wash your hands and NO PEOPLE-ING for at least another 30 days! Talk to you all soon.