SWFL businesses prepare for second round of PPP loans

Small businesses had to get creative in order to keep their doors open.

Now they're getting a boost from the government with another round of PPP loans.

Heading into next week, wihigh temps back into the 70s bynext MondaAS SOUTHWEST FLORIDA... AND THEREST OF THE COUNTRY... CONTINUEWORKING TO BOUNCE BACK FROM THEPANDEMIC...ANOTHER ROUND OFRELIEF IS *FINALLY ON ITS WAY.IT’S THE PAYCHECK PROTECTIONPROGRAM...OR P-P-P LOANS.THE APPLICATION PROCESS OPENEDTODAY... AND TONIGHT... A SMALLBUSINESS OWNER TELLS OURROCHELLE ALLEYNE... THAT HE’LLBE APPLYING AGAIN.(13-22)(122-128)((Cole Peacock//Seed and BeanMarket Owner))"It was interesting."INTERESTING...IS PROBABLY THE*NICEST WAY...COLE PEACOCK CANDESCRIBE TRYING TO KEEP A NEWBUSINESS AFLOAT IN A YEAR LIKE20-20.((Cole Peacock//Seed and BeanMarket Owner))"Opening the business with a nconcept with a new industry withFlorida just relatively newthe cannabis industry."YOU’VE PROBABLY SEEN THE SEEAND BEEN MARKET IN DOWNTOWN FORTMYERS...WHICH OFFERS C-B-DPRODUCTS...AND SO MUCH MORE.AND PEACOCK SAYS THE ONLY WAYTHEY WERE ABLE TO KEEP THEIRDOORS OPEN WAS THROUGH A P-P-PLOAN...AND BY *GETTING CREATIVE.((Cole Peacock//Seed and BeanMarket Owner"Us being a marketplace we wereable to really shift and be likea downtown grocery store orbodega.

And the state of Floridagave us passage to do that andsigned off on it.

We wereselling toilet paper, handsanitizers, and dog food."WITH THE SMALL BUSINESSADMINISTRATION OPENING UP ASECOND ROUND OF P-P-P LOANAPPLICATIONS MONDAY...PEACOCKSAYS HIS SHOP WILL BE APPLYINGFOR SOME HELP...ONCE AGAIN((Cole Peacock//Seed and BeanMarket Owner))"It was really able to get uthrough the hard times."IT’S A PRACTICE THAT F-G-C-UFINANCE PROFESSOR TOM SMYTHESAYS MOST SMALL BUSINESSES WHONEED THE HELP SHOULD DO...ANDQUICK.((Tom Smythe//FGCU FinanceProfessor)"I don’t think it wouldnecessarily make sense to waitsimply because the legislativeprocess can take an extensiveamount of time."SMYTHE SAYS IT’S ESPECIALIMPORTANT TO KEEP SMALLBUSINESSES ALIVE IN AN AREA LIKESOUTHWEST FLORIDA...WHERE THEECONOMY IS FUELED BY TOURISM...((Tom Smythe//FGCU FinanceProfessor)"The more small businesses thatshut down, it’ll take longer forjob growth to be re-created."AND AS BUSINESSES PREPARE TOAPPLY...AND WAIT FOR THEIRANSWER...PEACOCK HAS THIS ADVICEFOR THEM...((Cole Peacock//Seed and BeanMarket Owner))"One thing I would tell anysmall business owner is and anylarge business owner: don’t beafraid to pivot and don’t beafraid to try something new."I ALSO REACHED OUT TO THE FORTMYERS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE FORSOME OF THE LATEST INFORMATIONYOU’LL NEED TO QUALIFY FOR THISSECOND ROUND OF LOANS.FOR THAT INFORMATION...AND TOLEARN HOW TO APPLY...HEAD