WJR Business Beat

SBAM's entrepreneurship scorecard is a comprehensive assessment of how Michigan's entrepreneurial economy is performing: Michigan continues to rank in the top 10 for R and D and high-tech work. Jobs and sole proprietors have become more prevalent and job growth in the smaller employee categories has increased faster than the category of larger businesses.

The Small Business Association of Michigan annual meeting is scheduled for June 13th at the Lansing Center in Lansing. Be there if you're a small business owner in the state of MI. The event designed to help small business owners maximize their time, obtain valuable resources, and new information they can put to work to help them make their businesses successful.

Women are the fastest growing segments of new small business owners, but they often lack access to funding and resources, a new grant program by H & R Block, known as the Fund Her Future Grant program is available. Deadline is May 26th. Learn more at blockadvisors.com

If you're looking for that extra edge in attracting and retaining customers and engaging them into action to buy from you, understand that brand alignment is centrally important to consumers. Survey from Ipsos shows 7 in 10 US adults, either strongly or somewhat agree, that they tend to buy from brands that reflect their personal values.

The financial site Wealth of Geeks using data from Airbnb in the US Bureau of Labor Statistics compared average weekly salary data to the average cost per night of a short-term Airbnb rental and found the top 10 cities where renting out an Airbnb could earn a host the most, and in some cases, more than even half the salary they would make in a week.

Study from Pod Chaser, CEO's and senior executives are dedicated to the content of business, tech, and news that they consume on podcasts, which makes them beneficial to advertisers looking to connect w/ this audience. If you're looking for a way to reach CEOs, podcast advertising might be one of the better ways.

Establish clear expectations and key performance metrics and tightly control the brand messaging you want the micro-influencer to extend when pitching your company or product. If you're a small business owner looking for a fresh way to generate interest and engagement in whatever it is that you sell, give micro-influencer campaigns a try.

Shalina Taka, Executive Director of PMG says, concerning the study's findings, it's 2024, but there is still a sense of lost time. People are making up for adventures that they postponed & people they haven't seen. The study makes clear, loyalty programs remain very important, especially when it comes to younger travelers w/ 58% of Gen Z consumers reporting.

The initiative is part of Amazon's commitment to help small business owners during its annual small business month. As part of the grant program, Amazon will award one grand prize and 10 semi-finalist prizes, totaling more than $250,000. Small businesses that currently use Amazon Business and make a million or less in annual sales are eligible to apply. The deadline for applications is May 24th. Go to amazon.com/smallbusinessgrant

Cast your vote to determine this year's winner. The final four: Amara Beauty Products, a certified woman & minority-owned business, specializing in natural or organic body scrubs. Harry Rich Clothier creates custom garments for individuals using fashion as a tool to inspire, liberate, & educate people to think beyond the status quo. Kana is a Pakistani-inspired food popup. Roller Skate Detroit provides the Detroit area w/ an entertainment facility focused on healthy fun. The winner announced on May 9th. To cast your vote, go to hatchdetroit.com