Small Business Saturday is two weeks away and according to Bankrate.com, more than 50% of Americans say they will shop small on Small Business Saturday. Shopping activity between the days of Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday has always been an important week for small businesses.
If you would like more context on this matter, please consider Kathy Korman Frey, professorial lecturer of management and the director of the Center For Entrepreneurial Excellence at the George Washington University School of Business. Korman Frey’s areas of expertise include entrepreneurship, women and business, and venture funded start-ups. She can speak to a number of topics related to supporting small businesses, trends in the small business community, and the storylines that have emerged out of the pandemic.
“There are incredible stories of companies plugged into the often-rocky landscape during and post pandemic. These are the ‘mountain climbers.’ For example, a government contractor using the combination of a PPP loan plus some tweaks in payables and receivables to generate enough cash to make an acquisition,” Korman Frey says.
“Additionally, a Black-owned business - which helps underrepresented artists commercialize their work - raised venture money and inked a sponsorship deal with a major consumer packaged goods company. But there’s also stories of a local fitness-based business, for example, which had to quickly pivot to online and outdoor classes just to survive and will not be back up to pre-pandemic levels for several months.”
If you would like to speak with Korman Frey, please contact GW Media Relations Specialist Cate Douglass at [email protected].
-GW-