
Making Sense of the Stay-At-Home Order for North Carolina and Available Business Resources
At 5 p.m. today (March 30, 2020), all of North Carolina will be under a mandatory Stay At Home Order. You can find the text here and FAQs here. The order means that, unless you are going to the pharmacy, grocery store or another “essential business” listed below, or you need to care for someone else, you need to stay home. Note that some counties, towns and cities have issued their own Stay-At-Home orders. You have to follow the strictest one. These businesses may stay op

Small Business Covid-19 Resources
Here is a list of state and federal relief from the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina (EDPNC), one of my favorite sources when people are starting businesses. The information is just as on-point with owners struggling not to close their businesses. One of the main resources now for business is SBA emergency loans. These are bridge loans for operating capital to pay payroll, lease, etc. while income is limited because of Covid-19. All of North Carolina qual

How to Create a COVID-19 Response Plan
We have a guest blogger on Direct Talk today - Mimi Soule, Managing Partner | Management Advisor at Soule Employment Law Firm All employers, no matter how small, are required under NC and federal law to provide a safe working environment for their employees. To meet this legal obligation, employers should create a plan to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and to avoid exposing employees and customers to the virus. In an effort to control the outbreak and to ensure that employers