We’re all struggling with how to market ourselves during the pandemic. Not because we’re greedy, but because we have to survive. At BKE, we’ve stopped marketing our services entirely. Instead, we’ve shifted to providing tips and guidance to everyone (whether they are clients or not) on how to weather the pandemic financially. Here’s how you, […]
Small Business Administration (SBA) Loans
The SBA (Small Business Administration is planning a stimulus package for small businesses during the pandemic. That stimulus for small business consists of loans directly by the SBA (not from banks). These loans will be at a fixed rate of 3.75% and up to $2M, with a long-term payback. We will be following the loan […]
India Inc pulls out all stops to make it work
Illustration: Rahul Awasthi Companies across sectors are scrambling to enforce ‘work from home‘ practices, as the government has ‘strongly advised’ India Inc to implement this policy and limit the spread of coronavirus. The companies are also trying to ensure that their operations are disrupted to a minimum. “We have asked our companies in India to […]
Living in the golden age of social distancing
I’ve been described – well, accused of– being a professional homebody, preferring to work from home, rather than working from a place where there are urinals instead of just a commode, and more elbows in the vicinity than I would care for. It turns out that because of my experience, I have become somewhat of […]
New listing rules to aid founders of startups, PEs
In a major change of rule, the government has allowed superior voting shares to list on exchanges in the same way as other shares, helping promoters and early-stage investors and private equity (PE) and venture capital (VC) funds retain some advantages. The new norms were put in place on Thursday, through an amendment to the […]
Bulk packs in demand as buyers stock up like crazy
Illustration: Rahul Awasthi Companies and retailers are reporting higher sales of large packs of biscuits, noodles, rice, edible oils and hygiene products such as handwash and floor cleaners compared to individual or smaller packs, as consumers stock up grocery amidst apprehensions of a lockdown following the Covid-19 outbreak. This bucks the trend of the past […]
Covid-Asana: Indians go big on yoga from home
Illustration: Rahul Awasthi After the namaste, another traditional practice gaining ground on account of Covid-19 is yoga, according to fitness startups such as FITTR, Cult.Fit, Sarva and Get A Life Fitness (GALF). The need to maintain social distance is pushing people to log on to online workouts where yoga tops the list in terms of […]
GM to lend its auto factories to support production of ventilators in coronavirus fight
LAKE ORION, MI – MARCH 22: General Motors Chairman and CEO Mary Barra arrives at an event where she announced a $300 million investment in the GM Orion Assembly Plant plant for electric and self-driving vehicles at the Orion Assembly Plant on March 22, 2019 in Lake Orion, Michigan. Barra also announced that GM will […]
Final touches to draft E-commerce policy
India could make public next week the draft e-commerce policy proposing a dedicated regulator for the sector. The draft, focussing on special measures for rural e-commerce, job creation and infrastructure, could be made public next week after a group of secretaries reviews it on Monday. The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) […]
Amid high demand, e-grocers delay and cancel orders as more consumers shop online
Illustration: Rahul Awasthi Unable to handle the sudden surge in demand, India’s two largest grocery players, BigBasket and Grofers, have started delaying orders by days and in some cases cancelling those, while also selectively shutting down certain delivery pin codes. On Friday, raging consumers took to microblogging site Twitter to complain as more people opted […]