Weekly Report 3-21

By d-mars.com

As the country faces uncertain economic conditions including record-high inflation, small businesses are integral to the health and regrowth of the economy. They currently account for 99.9% of American businesses and 46.8% of employed adults in the United States, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Heading Back to the Office? Here’s What To Expect

ybrid work is here. With indoor mask mandates lifting around the United States and news of major companies heading back into the office at least part-time, workers can expect more meetings with a mix of remote and in-office participants from now on.

Fulfilling the hybrid promise will take time, testing, and learning, not to mention evolutions in technology and culture. Here's what you can expect if you're heading back to the office this spring.

Business Survey - 2022 SMB Outlook.

While the United States economy has begun to rebound from pandemic lows, small businesses continue to face new challenges. The question is how can they get the support they need?

Taking Action Now to Help Small Businesses by Making it Less Costly to Accept Digital Payments

Building a resilient hybrid culture

We are living in a new paradigm - the value of work lies in what you do, not where you go to do it. Similarly, strong workplace culture is no longer about the look and feel or in-office perks of a corporate campus. Culture is defined by the values that serve the company's mission and unite the workforce.

Digital Payments Are a Lifeline to Small Businesses

Digital Payments Are a Lifeline to Small Businesses

It has become clear over the past two years that digital payments, including credit and debit cards, fuel growth for small businesses. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, electronic payments provided a lifeline to small businesses, allowing them to continue to serve their customers, sometimes in new ways, in their local communities, and in the broader global market. As inflation rises with no sign of slowing down and the economy faces unprecedented volatility, digital payments will continue to help small businesses thrive - in challenging economic times and in good ones.

Recognizing the power of digital payments to help small businesses compete and thrive, Visa is lowering key in-store and online consumer credit interchange rates for more than 90% of American businesses by 10%, effective April 2022. These rate changes will apply to businesses with $250,000 of Visa consumer credit volume, which generally applies to businesses with $2-2.5MM in revenue. These small businesses make up the vast majority of businesses that accept Visa payments.

These reductions are in addition to steps Visa took over the past two years to support American businesses, including committing to digitally enabling 50 million small businesses globally, launching programs, and directing resources to provide the essential digital capabilities needed for recovery.

Culture shifts that can help equalize the work experience for remote and onsite workers start with reinforcing that all types of participation are welcome and supported. Meeting frequency and formats should be reevaluated for the hybrid environmenthow often should teams meet, who should be there, what types of meetings are best suited for the office, and more. Leadership styles should also adjust to ensure remote workers get equal attention and opportunity before, during, and after meetings.

The office is its own experience

For the hybrid model to work, we can't revert to pre-pandemic office behaviors. The past two years have proved that workers don't need to be in the office to be productive. So what can the office offer if it's no longer the hub of productivity? For starters, technology tools and space to create an experience workers can't get at home.

The office serves as a business center, where workers can come to hold in-person meetings, collaborate, print documents, and head home to finish their focused work.

Small businesses have been empowered by digital payments because they level the playing field with big retail and large e-commerce in many ways, including:

Small businesses have been empowered by digital payments because they level the playing field with big retail and large e-commerce in many ways, including:

• More access to sales, guaranteed payment, added security and transaction protections, and a payment option that is less expensive for businesses than cash;

• E-commerce capabilities, allowing for online sales during lockdown periods; and

Looking to the Future to Help Small Businesses Succeed

Looking to the Future to Help Small Businesses Succeed

Beyond these actions, there are numerous resources available for small business owners who are working to grow their business and "go digital," and for consumers eager to support their local merchants during challenging economic times.

Small businesses can access Visa's Small Business Hub, which features digital enablement tools, and solutions for small businesses to help them reach more customers.

Business tool to easily find and Support Local Businesses in their vicinity.

Employers should reassess their space for simple solutions that make a world of difference for the hybrid worker. Concepts like hot desking can optimize office desk space, allowing employees who plan to work in the office to reserve a desk as needed. Hot desking maximizes your office's floor plan and accommodates whoever needs to be on-site any given day.

Meeting room systems also deserve extra focus, where modular or all-in-one solutions can add interactive features and improve the onsite experience. Those solutions could include a camera and soundbar that feature a wide field of view, auto-framing, and noise cancellation. And traditional boardroom furniture can be replaced by causal seating for more natural interactions.

• Convenient offerings for customers who are seeking new, safer ways to shop, such as buy online - pick up in store or contactless checkout.

Data has even shown that businesses that had access to digital payments during the pandemic were more resilient and better able to compete than those that did not. In fact, 90% of small businesses attribute their pandemic survival to ecommerce, according to the Visa Global Back to

is not only important for the health of the global economy during periods of uncertainty, but for the everyday strength and vibrancy of our local com munities. As the future of money continues to evolve, it is criti cal that small businesses have the resources and support they need to succeed and keep up with big retail in the increasingly digital economy.

It will naturally take time to master the art of facilitating more inclusive hybrid meetings. Remote participants may worry about not feeling heard, so they may not speak up at all. Onsite participants viewing a gallery can't always tell who's speaking and inadvertently cut one another off or hear the dreaded "you're on mute."

"Addressing hybrid collaboration challenges isn't simply a matter of seeing and hearing more clearly or joining a meeting more easily. Technology must bring the same natural, in-person experience, with all its nuances, to virtual engagement - and it must deliver an equal experience for all participants," said

Shannon

MacKay, General

Manager of the Worldwide Smart Collaboration Business Group at Lenovo. "The kind of smart collaboration that fuels innovation must be powered by technology that's ubiquitous,

Local Entertainment Company Provides Platform for Houston Artists to Display Their

ART TO THE COMMUNITY

with the recent event, Stewart could not be happier with the outcome.

By Bridgett Holden Contributing Writer

In conjunction with inspiration from an article written by Monique Welch in the Houston Chronicle aptly titled ”6 Black Artists You Need To Know Who Are Part of Houston’s Booming Art Scene,” Reggie Stewart, founder, and CEO of Eternal Light Entertainment, (ELE) created Roho Ya Msanii, the Soul of the Artist Series that ran from March to April to present and provide a platform for four of the artists mentioned in Welch’s article to display their artwork to the community at the Agora Haus, a private upscale location in The Heights pro bono.

Roho Ya Msanii, the Soul of the Artist, is a series of art mixers designed to share the essence of each artist with the public,” stated Stewart. “Eternal Light works in the art and music industries and one of our missions is to feature up-and-coming artists. When I read Monique’s article, I was inspired by their individual stories and unique talents. I wanted to provide an evening and space for each artist to showcase their art, showing Houston why they are artists we need to know.”

The Soul of the Artist kicked off on March 10th, featuring 45-year-old Akaimi Davis a.k.a. "Akaimi the Artist" who travels back and forth from San Antonio to Houston for treatment from rare a form of leukemia known as large granular lymphocytic leukemia. Davis has undergone chemo for two years and went full-time with her art shortly after.

“This was an amazing opportunity,” stated Davis. “I enjoyed being able to showcase my art with a beautiful mix of people at a beautiful venue, and the energy in the room was impeccable! I can’t wait to see what’s to come!”

On March 24th, Soul of the Artist featured Audrianna Woods a.k.a. "Miss Audrii" who is the youngest of the artists, (27 years old). Woods has been painting for five years, and went full-time three years ago, with this as her first featured art showing.

“I am beyond excited to be a part of Soul of the Artist put on by Eternal Light Entertainment,” stated Woods!” “Painting has become my way of expressing who I truly am and is my way of spreading love and

light into the world. I believe it’s special to connect with who you are and where you come from, and I’ve made it my mission to show that within my artwork!”

The next artist featured on April 7th was native Houstonian Michael Temple a.k.a. "Madd Kyng." The 29-year-old, jumped into art full time after graduating from San Diego State University. He has worked on projects for Houston rapper Tobe Nwigwe, Astroworld, and installations inside the new Museum for Black Girls in Uptown Park Mall.

“Through consistent hard work, opportunities flow like water,” stated Temple. “I am grateful for this opportunity to grow my presence in Houston’s art community.”

Closing out the series on April 21st was Doug James Jr. a.k.a. "Art by Nato." This native Houstonian’s father is Doug James

Sr., Klein ISD school board member who has been a pivotal inspiration behind his son’s art. James Jr.'s first big break came when Spike Lee contacted him via Instagram about an art piece he did of Denzel Washington's portrayal of Bleak Gilliam in the film Mo' Better Blues. Once James Jr. realized it was the famous producer, they planned for Lee to purchase the art from James Jr. Many of his pieces highlight music artists, political leaders, and other notable figures in the Black community.

“I’m honored and blessed beyond words to be a part of the Soul of the Artist Series,” stated James Jr. “When I heard the title of the mixer, I knew it meant that as an artist you need to put your entire soul into everything you create. I love creating pieces that resonate with me, my life experiences, and much more. I always use this quote from one of my favorite artists, Jean Michel Basquiatto who said, “I don't think about art when I'm working. I try to think about life. Life is your canvas. Paint your piece in the way God intends you to do. The world is yours.” This reminds me of why art is imperative.

Although statistics show that 0000.2% of artists become successful, Stewart acknowledges a lot of work goes into producing an art show, securing the venue, creating the buzz, making sure people attend, etc. And unless the artist has an agent or gallery working with them, it's almost impossible for them to pull it off. However,

“Because of the great team I had, we were able to offer each artist the experience we planned with them from the beginning. Both the artist and audience left each evening having truly enjoyed themselves and that was most rewarding for me.”

There could be a foreseeable change on the horizon for the art industry in Texas. According to Texas Monthly Magazine, “From all reports on the front, the art scene in Texas is being infiltrated by artists from all over the country. Welch’s article states, “Houston is an art mecca,” and movoto.com states that “Houston is rapidly gaining a reputation as the premier fine art fair in the South and the next ‘Art Basel Miami.’” With a quirky, fresh approach to the visual arts, Houston’s art community is booming.”

“The purpose of this series was to provide these amazing artists with a platform to display their art and share their soul to the audience, and from the incredible response from those that attended it appears that those expectations were not only met but were far exceeded,” said Stewart. “We had high expectations and it's truly a great feeling when you can achieve your goals.”

Although the Soul of the Artist Series has concluded, Stewart plans to create this experience again in Houston and in other cities in Texas, working with gallery owners and curators to shed light on up-andcoming artists.

“We are looking at presenting this series at different venues throughout the city of Houston and then take it on the road to major cities in the country,” stated Stewart. “We want to continue to provide this platform for Black artists to share their art and soul, but equally important, to be compensated financially as fairly as possible, for their time and talents.”

“Whenever you create a plan and can execute it flawlessly, the experience cannot be described as anything other than unbelievably successful,” stated Stewart.