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Laws You Should Know About

By growthzone | September 8, 2021

Baking Good Legislation On August 27, Governor Pritzker signed into law the Home-to-Market Act.  The Home-to-Market Act allows producers of home-based food products to sell their goods directly to customers. This new law goes into effect on January 1, 2022. This will foster the growth of home-based entrepreneurs, known as the cottage food businesses. Prior…

Big win for small businesses!

By growthzone | July 21, 2021

SBAC Applauds Mayor Lightfoot and City Council For Providing Small Businesses a Big Win For Immediate Release July 21, 2021 Statement by Small Business Advocacy Council (SBAC) President Elliot Richardson: The SBAC and a robust coalition of business and community organizations have been fighting to reduce the time it takes for small businesses to obtain…

SBAC MemberPlus App

By growthzone | May 25, 2021

The SBAC has an APP!! Download the iOS app »   Download the Google Play app »  Thanks for being part of our SBAC Community! Please translate this page to the language of your choice. Supporters Fifth Third Bank Saul Ewing Arnstein Lehr Inland Bank Ntiva Daily Herald Tandem HR Interprenet Signature Bank Lexitas Empower Korey…

Big Win for Chicago Home Based Businesses

By growthzone | April 22, 2021

Big Win for Chicago Home Based Businesses “This is a crucial time to support entrepreneurs with the dream of launching and growing their businesses in Chicago. This ordinance will unleash Chicagoans looking to build a business that will support local communities,” said SBAC co-founder and President Elliot Richardson. “We appreciate the support and leadership of…

The SBAC Supports Relief For Chicago Small Businesses Through Reimbursement of Liquor License Fees

By growthzone | April 5, 2021

The SBAC supports a proposed Chicago ordinance which will reimburse small businesses a portion of the liquor license fees they paid because they could not use their license during pandemic related shutdowns.  This ordinance will help many local businesses recover from the pandemic. Please translate this page to the language of your choice. Supporters Fifth…

New PPP Rules for Sole Proprietors and Businesses with 20 or fewer Employees

By growthzone | February 25, 2021

New PPP Rules for Sole Proprietors and Businesses with 20 or fewer Employees From February 24th to March 9th, the Small Business Administration will accept applications for PPP loans for sole proprietors and businesses with fewer than 20 employees. The move is meant to make it easier for businesses with few or no employees –…

Legislation to Help Black Owned Businesses Receive a Fair Share of State Contracts

By growthzone | January 8, 2021

READ H.B 2629 HERE TAKE ACTION Black Owned Businesses Deserve Access to Government Contracts Illinois has failed Black and African American owned businesses by failing to provide them access to state contracts.  For too long, they have been denied a fair share of state contracts and revenue.  Legislation has been filed to ensure Black and…

Home Based Businesses

By growthzone | December 1, 2020

Jumpstarting Chicago’s Economic Recovery The city of Chicago is facing unprecedented public health and economic challenges resulting from COVID-19. By executive order, by choice, or by necessity, many Chicagoans are starting and operating businesses from home during the pandemic. However, Chicago’s regulations make the home occupation license too complicated and too restrictive for these vitally…

Property Tax Reform

By growthzone | December 1, 2020

Citizens Empowerment Act The state of Illinois has the second highest property taxes in the US. Property taxes are a huge burden on Illinois residents and small businesses, and often drive people out of the state. Illinois also has 6,918 local units of government, according to the latest Census Bureau data, which is more than…

Make Minority Contracting Reforms Now

By growthzone | November 25, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on the small business community. With businesses struggling, government contracts are even more important to many small businesses, including minority owned businesses with limited cash reserves and access to capital. The failure of governmental entities at all levels to ensure that minority businesses receive a fair share…

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