JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Small business owners across the country are fighting for their livelihoods.
For some who just opened-up shop, they are in a gray area when it comes to getting relief.
Lauren Wade who is a former 12-year veteran educator and St. Johns County Teacher of the Year knows that well. She started her own company last year: Kids Can Code, LLC.
“The kids just love it. It’s just really cool to see them not consume technology but actually create something,” Wade said.
But as her clients — or parents of — face uncertainty in their own bank accounts, it’s impacted business. Now she finds her company is in a bit of a gray area.
“It’s been a challenging first year of business because it started off like a rocket ship and now things have stalled,” Wade said.
She started her company in Fall 2019, so that’s only a few months of reportable income.
Meaning the benefits would correspond to only a fraction of potential earnings. Being self-employed adds to the complexity of loans she can pursue, which she has but is still waiting to hear back about when her relief might come.
“It’s not really an accurate picture for a startup like mine, but I’m just trusting God that it’ll work out,” Wadesaid.
She is still looking at other options for small business relief — in the meantime, she’s still open online.