Suzanne DuFore, Head of Research at NEXT Insurance will discuss Small Businesses the heart of our economy and new survey findings. The recent survey was with 500+ small businesses about the impact of COVID, and the future. Below are a few key findings:
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COVID-19 Forced Businesses to Go Digital, Embrace Government Assistance: Overall, close to half of all small business owners said they embraced more digital practices in response to COVID-19 which will contribute to 52% of all small businesses getting more than half of their revenues digitally by 2022, up from 42% in 2019.
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Small Business Owners are Bullish on Their Businesses and the Broader Economy: When asked about the broader economy, 84% of small business owners said they are somewhat, very or extremely optimistic about a recovery. When asked about their own businesses, 94% expressed optimism about a recovery.
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Women Are Starting Businesses More Than Men, Often from Scratch and By Themselves: Women were more than twice as likely to start a business during 2020 than men. Data suggests women are more likely to start a business from scratch than men, with men twice as likely (11.3% to 5.6%) to buy into an existing business or franchise. Women (57%) are also more likely to start their businesses without a partner or partners than men (42%).
Our second guest is Dr. Michael Forbes, Pediatric & Adolescent Intensive Care Specialist and the Director of PICU Clinical Research & Outcomes Analysis at Akron Children’s Hospital, will be available to provide important details on what parents need to know about RSV, including which kids are at highest risk and how it can be prevented. His topic is RSV Has Been Spreading in Unprecedented Levels This Summer.
RSV is a common, highly contagious seasonal virus that is contracted by nearly all infants by the age of 2.[1] RSV infections occur primarily throughout the fall and winter, during cold and flu season. However, since late March, there has been an increase in RSV cases throughout the southern U.S., including in AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NM, NC, OK, SC, TN and TX. This unseasonable rise in caseload has the CDC alerting health care providers and caregivers to broaden their testing for the disease.