Business News | Stanford Seed Network’s South Asia Conclave 2024 to Witness 200+ CEO’s and Founders

Business News

PNNMumbai (Maharashtra) [India], November 29: The Stanford Seed Transformation Network will be organising the 3-day South Asia Annual Conclave 2024 in Goa from 28th to 30th November. This year’s conclave promises to be an inspiring gathering of entrepreneurs, thought leaders, and innovators from across South Asia aimed at fostering collaboration and driving business growth in the region. The conclave will be joined by eminent speakers like Rohit Kapoor, CEO, Swiggy – Food marketplace; Aparna Popat, Double Olympian and 16-time National Badminton Champion; Darius Teter, Executive Director, Stanford Seed; Dr. Rohini Rau, Gold medalist at the Asian Sailing Championship; Satyarup Siddhanta, Guinness World Record-holding Mountaineer amongst many others.Also Read | 2024’s Best Forex and Futures Funded Accounts: Where Traders Are Finding the Edge.The South Asia Conclave is a powerful gathering of ambitious minds and innovative ideas,” said Abhishek Modi, President of the Stanford Seed Transformation Network (South Asia) and Managing Partner of Shiva Engineering. “This event is more than just an opportunity to connect–it’s a catalyst for deep learning from experts, peer-to-peer insights, and the chance to rethink and reset. This year, the conclave’s theme is ACT, and our sessions are curated to enable entrepreneurs to Adapt, Connect, and Thrive (ACT).”Mr. Modi continued, “Through the Stanford Seed Transformation Program, a strategic initiative of Stanford Graduate School of Business, we’re committed to helping entrepreneurs scale their businesses through hands-on training, lifelong mentorship, and a global network of peers. The conclave, along with other initiatives of the network, aims to support graduates of this program by providing continuous opportunities for learning, business enablement, and mentorship.”Also Read | What Is ‘Right To Die’ Bill Proposed for England and Wales? Here’s All You Need To Know About the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill Up for Vote in UK House of Commons.The 10-month Stanford Seed program is a high-touch program for CEOs & Founders of SMEs in South Asia and is taught & delivered by Stanford Graduate School of Business faculty. Initiated in India in 2017 following its initial presence in Africa, the program has now expanded across South Asia with over 370+ Entrepreneurs in the network in the South Asia Chapter and 1100+ globally.Harish Arnezath, Regional Director of Stanford Seed (South Asia), “The Stanford Seed program aims to end the cycle of global poverty by helping entrepreneurs build thriving businesses that create jobs and drive economic growth.”Focused on emerging markets, the program provides participants access to world-class resources, including learning materials from Stanford faculty, a global network of business leaders, and a tailored curriculum that addresses specific business challenges. The South Asia chapter has now expanded to four countries and over 370 entrepreneurs who boast collective revenue of $950 million and employ more than 60,000 people.Harish Arnezath, Regional Director of Stanford Seed (South Asia), further added, “We are committed to empowering small and medium businesses in South Asia to scale up and reach their full potential. This Conclave provides an excellent platform for our entrepreneurs to engage in peer learning, exchange ideas, and gain actionable insights to drive their growth and resilience in an ever-changing business environment.”Participants in the Stanford Seed program benefit from a unique curriculum that combines academic rigour with practical application. The program emphasises real-world learning and encourages participants to develop actionable strategies that can be implemented immediately within their businesses.The Stanford Seed program has been a transformative experience for me as an entrepreneur. The enriching course material, paired with in-company workshops, ensures that the insights are not just personal but drive meaningful growth across the entire leadership team, fostering alignment and collective progress. The business transformation advisors challenge you to think deeply and strategically at every step, while the incredible network has given me lifelong friends and collaborators. I cannot recommend this program enough to anyone serious about scaling their business with impact and purpose”, says Rashi Narang, Founder of Heads Up for Tails, Stanford Seed Program Alumni. The Stanford Seed Transformation Network, South Asia, invites aspiring entrepreneurs to apply for the Stanford Seed Transformation Program (STP). This is an opportunity to join a vibrant community dedicated to fostering innovation and entrepreneurship across South Asia. Interested individuals can learn more about the program and apply at the Stanford Seed Program. For more information on eligibility criteria and about the program, log on to: https://www.gsbseed.stanford.edu/stp-south-asiaAbout Stanford Seed Program: The Seed Transformation Program is designed specifically for business owners and your senior management team. This in-person and online program is led by Stanford Graduate School of Business faculty and local experts and supported by Stanford-trained advisors. You’ll participate in both face-to-face and remote class sessions and workshops to gain the strategic skills, methods, and mindsets to transform yourself, your team, your business, and your community.The ultimate goal is to create and activate a detailed action plan to help you grow your company. (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by PNN. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same)(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)

Giving ‘Tinseltown’ new meaning, Connecticut launches a Christmas Movie Trail

Arts & Culture, Film & TV

WETHERSFIELD, Conn. — On highway signs across the state, Connecticut has declared itself “Home of the Basketball Capital of the World” (Springfield might disagree), “the Pizza Capital of the United States” (New York would like a word), the “Foodie Capital of New England” (a bold assertion indeed), and the “Submarine Capital of the World” (OK, we’ll give you that).But there’s another category where the Nutmeg State truly sparkles: holiday movies. On Nov. 13, Governor Ned Lamont and the Connecticut Office of Statewide Marketing & Tourism launched the nation’s first Christmas Movie Trail. Unveiled at the festively decorated Silas W. Robbins House in Wethersfield, the mapped trail highlights dining, accommodations, and other locations featured in specific Hallmark, Lifetime, Netflix, BET, and Universal Studios holiday movies. (You might have seen the Robbins House in Hallmark’s “Christmas on Honeysuckle Lane.”) The ribbon-like trail includes 22 stops, one for each of the 22 Christmas movies filmed in Connecticut over the past 10 years. For details, visit ctvisit.com/articles/Christmas-movies-in-Connecticut.How did Connecticut become the backdrop of choice for the holiday movie genre? Sure, the state’s film and TV tax incentives play a role, but those involved with the films say Connecticut is the real star. “Holiday films bring us comfort, nostalgia, and a bit of magic,” said Connecticut native and resident Andrew Gernhard, producer of numerous holiday films. “Having grown up here, I know firsthand the character and warmth that make Connecticut an ideal setting to bring these films to life. We’ve had the joy of filming so many holiday scenes here, and I think fans are going to love experiencing Connecticut through this lens.”The lighthouse suite at Saybrook Point Resort & Marina gets decked out for the holidays — and for holiday movies.HandoutSince filming often happens in summertime, “we add a little ‘snow’ to the ground and CGI (special effects) does the rest,” says actor Michael Rady, who starred in “Where Are You, Christmas?” and “Christmas at Pemberley Manor.” “Connecticut has a lot to offer — but it doesn’t have 3 feet of snow in June!”Other than snow, Connecticut needs little enhancement to bring the quaint holiday vibe to the small screen: Here, a Christmas tree farm; there, a cozy pub. Antique-filled inns? Check. It’s the perfect setting for an evergreen-scented, candy cane-and-mistletoe-accented love story. (It’s always a love story.) Quick, get that fireplace roaring! And will somebody pass the mulled wine?Feeling a bit Scrooge-y at the concept? Know that the Hallmark Channel’s “Countdown to Christmas” offerings consistently draw huge viewership. The debut weekend of Hallmark’s first new Christmas films of the season made the channel the No. 1 entertainment cable network among women over age 18, Nielsen data shows, according to Forbes.com. And consider that two sailings of the Hallmark Channel Christmas Cruise sold out in less than 24 hours. That’s a serious fan base.Summer guests were a bit surprised to see Saybrook Point Resort & Marina decorated for the holidays. Inside, actors and crew were shooting a Hallmark Christmas movie.Courtesy photoAnd why not? Holiday movies are “cute and lighthearted and feel like a warm hug,” says Candace Engdall of Saybrook Point Resort & Marina in Old Saybrook. “I think the world needs that right now.” Plots are predictable, in a good way. If some of them are slightly cheesy, well, a good cheese ball is a holiday standby. Saybrook Point Resort’s Choo Choo Lounge was a location in Hallmark’s “Next Stop, Christmas,” by the way. Guests were delighted to see stars like Lea Thompson milling about, Engdall says, “and didn’t seem to mind we had Christmas decorations up in summertime.” The inn decorates exactly the same way during the real holiday season.With Connecticut’s holiday glow-up in full swing, this is a great time to tour the Christmas movie trail. With the goal of Holiday Movie Immersion, we binge-watched a few and set off to capture the Christmas spirit, Connecticut-style. (Bonus: Many of the attractions offer holiday-themed events.) Here are a few fun stops.Lavish holiday decor? Fans of Christmas movie fare count on it. This is how they do it at the Silas W. Robbins House.Diane Bair for The Boston GlobeWatch this: ‘Christmas on Honeysuckle Lane’ (Hallmark, 2018)Go here: Old Wethersfield, the largest historic district in the state, is quaint as can be. To feel like a movie extra, check out Heirloom Market on Main Street, and the Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum (wdsmuseum.org) open May-October and December. Grab a bite at Lucky Lou’s Bar & Grill (www.luckylousbarandgrill.com), a fine-dining mainstay. Make it an overnight at the beautiful Silas W. Robbins House (www.silaswrobbins.com) bed & breakfast inn. All of these places can be seen in the movie.Note: “Ghosts of Christmas Always” (Hallmark, 2022) also did some filming in Old Wethersfield, but was mostly shot in Hartford and West Hartford. Locations include Bushnell Park and the Bushnell Park Carousel.Watch this: ‘Next Stop, Christmas’ (Hallmark, 2021)Go here: This one was shot in Essex, Old Saybrook, Old Lyme, Chester, Deep River, East Lyme, and Norwich. Locations featured include the historic Essex Steam Train (essexsteamtrain.com); Grano Arso restaurant (www.granoct.com) , Simon’s Marketplace (www.simonsmarketplace.net), and Otto Pizza (www.ottochester.com), all in Chester; and the Choo Choo Lounge at Saybrook Point Resort & Marina (www.saybrook.com.)Watch this: ‘Christmas at Pemberley Manor’ (Hallmark, 2018)Go here: Essex, set on the Connecticut River, was featured in this one, too. Wander along Main Street, and pop inside the circa 1776 Griswold Inn (https://griswoldinn.com), both shown in the movie.Note: The Noel Diary (Netflix, 2022) was filmed at several places in the state, including Essex. The Griswold Inn shows up here, too, as does Olive Oyl’s Carryout Cuisine (www.oliveoylscarryout.com), a repurposed garage and gas station on Main Street.Watch this: ‘Soul Santa’ (BET, 2021)Go here: This one featured several locations in Norwich in eastern Connecticut. To get into the spirit, visit the Harp & Dragon Pub (www.hndpub.com), a traditional Irish pub with great food, and Billy Wilson’s Ageing Still (www.facebook.com/Billy.Wilsons.Ageing.Still), an old-school bar.This outfit, on display for the unveiling of the Connecticut Christmas Movie Trail, was worn by Kelsey Grammar in “12 Days of Christmas Eve.”Diane Bair for The Boston GlobeWatch these“Mystic Christmas” (Hallmark, 2023), “Where Are You, Christmas?” (Hallmark, 2023), “The Holiday Fix-Up” (Lifetime, 2021), “Trivia at St. Nick’s” (Hallmark, 2024), “A Very Nutty Christmas” (Lifetime, 2018), and more.Go here: Ah, Mystic! How the holiday movie folks love you! One of our favorites, “The Holiday Fix-Up,” used Mystic Seaport (mysticseaport.org) as a location. The movie “Mystic Christmas” is a real Valentine to Mystic (or should we say, Christmas card?), with scenes filmed all over town. Mystic Aquarium (www.mysticaquarium.org ) was prominent in the film, along with Mystic Seaport, Mystic’s famous drawbridge, Sift Bake Shop (www.siftbakeshopmystic.com), and Harbor View Landing (harborviewlanding.com). Yes, you can stay in one of the two houses featured in the movie — they’re among the nine cute cottages at this resort, set on the Mystic River. “A guest came here and said, ‘This place is like a Hallmark movie,’” says Harbor View Landing’s Deb Tristan. “‘Funny you should mention that!’ I responded. She watched the movie while she was here.”For more information: www.CTvisit.com.The Silas W. Robbins House in Wethersfield was featured in the movie, “Christmas on Honeysuckle Lane.”Diane Bair for The Boston GlobeDiane Bair and Pamela Wright can be reached at [email protected]

Local Business Owner Encourages Shop Local This Holiday Season

Business News

Henry Flood, owner of Epikos Comics and Games weighs in on the importance of shopping local this holiday season.

1 hour ago

CHATTANOOGA, TN – We all know about Black Friday and Cyber Monday and we manage to mark those on our calendars every year, but Small Business Saturday falls right in between them.
Started by American Express in 2010 after the great recession, it has been officially sponsored by The Small Business Administration since 2011. The idea is to focus on locally owned businesses as they are an important part of local economies.  According to SBA.gov, since its inception, Small Business Saturday reported that $201 billion dollars have been generated with last year having a one day total of $17 billion nationwide.
According to small business owner Henry Flood “Well I mean everything says it – Small Business Saturday, so small businesses mostly your local businesses, ones have been started here in Chattanooga, or in the surrounding areas. Typically, what you should consider like a small mom-and-pop style store. Things like that. And what’s important is that small businesses make up a vast, majority of the sales in the United States. We’re the backbone of the economy and so, without us we’re in worse shape.”

Henry Flood has been the owner of Epikos Comics and Games for 14 years and cites the holidays as his busiest time of year. “This is the day that we get to see more people than normal. This is the day that we get to sell more merchandise, but we also get to see people walk out having found that one item you’re looking for and that’s what we’re there for.”
According to SBA, Small businesses are the life blood of the US economy.  They create two-thirds of all new jobs, drive innovation and competition and recent reports show that they account for 44% of US economic activity.
To find a business participating in your area go to https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/shop-small/, and make sure to follow the SBA on social media and share your local shopping experiences with the hashtag #shoplocal.

Local Business Owner Encourages Shop Local This Holiday Season

Business News

Henry Flood, owner of Epikos Comics and Games weighs in on the importance of shopping local this holiday season.

1 hour ago

CHATTANOOGA, TN – We all know about Black Friday and Cyber Monday and we manage to mark those on our calendars every year, but Small Business Saturday falls right in between them.
Started by American Express in 2010 after the great recession, it has been officially sponsored by The Small Business Administration since 2011. The idea is to focus on locally owned businesses as they are an important part of local economies.  According to SBA.gov, since its inception, Small Business Saturday reported that $201 billion dollars have been generated with last year having a one day total of $17 billion nationwide.
According to small business owner Henry Flood “Well I mean everything says it – Small Business Saturday, so small businesses mostly your local businesses, ones have been started here in Chattanooga, or in the surrounding areas. Typically, what you should consider like a small mom-and-pop style store. Things like that. And what’s important is that small businesses make up a vast, majority of the sales in the United States. We’re the backbone of the economy and so, without us we’re in worse shape.”

Henry Flood has been the owner of Epikos Comics and Games for 14 years and cites the holidays as his busiest time of year. “This is the day that we get to see more people than normal. This is the day that we get to sell more merchandise, but we also get to see people walk out having found that one item you’re looking for and that’s what we’re there for.”
According to SBA, Small businesses are the life blood of the US economy.  They create two-thirds of all new jobs, drive innovation and competition and recent reports show that they account for 44% of US economic activity.
To find a business participating in your area go to https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/shop-small/, and make sure to follow the SBA on social media and share your local shopping experiences with the hashtag #shoplocal.

An Inside Look at Vascular Care and the Tech That Changes Lives

Technology

Dr. LeSar and the Vascular Insitute of Chattanooga invite us for a behind the scenes view of technology that improves quality of life.

7 minutes ago

CHATTANOOGA, TN – The Vascular Institute of Chattanooga invited us into the outpatient room for a look at some tech that’s changing lives here in the Tennessee Valley. Dr. Chris LeSar is one of the top vascular surgeons in the world and his friends at Asahi Inntech took us behind the curtain to showcase some of their new technology that had never been used in Chattanooga and potentially this hemisphere.
Asahi Inntec USA is part of a global company that make cutting interventional guide wires and microcatheters, and has been working with surgeons like Dr. Lesar all over the globe.  Vascular institute was selected because of their reputation to be first in line for their new device.
The surgery you’re watching – and don’t worry folks there’s no need to turn away there is nothing graphic here – is a Chattanooga resident that’s had issues with balance, loss of mobility and feeling in the leg.  Dr. LeSar and his team identified a blood clot as the issue.

What you’re seeing is Dr. LeSar using an Asahi Inntech 0.46mm crosslead penetration wire.  You can see in the video where he breaks thru the clot to restore circulation.
Once the clot is broken thru you’re probably wondering what happens to all those extra pieces of the clot.  Well, Dr. LeSar runs a laser wire into the effected area.
“This is a laser that’s is not like Star Wars where it shoots out a laser beam and it zaps something far away it actually only interacts at 1 mm from the edge,” says Dr. LeSar.
This process is called photo oblation and it breaks up the small particles into small enough pieces basically down to a molecular level so that they can flow back thru the body naturally without causing any issues.
From there he goes in to add a stint.  We’ve all heard of stints being used in various surgeries but the interesting thing about this stint was that is uses body heat to reach a specified diameter. Much like the heat shrink tubing many of us have used in home and automotive applications, this stint works that same way but it expands under body heat instead of contracting. So you can see the blood flow open up and restore to her lower extremities and the stint will help the vein from reverting to its previous state.

To see if the surgery was a success he injected some colored dye and the patient started regaining feeling and blood flow to her leg.  But the technology in vascular care has made leaps and bounds over the last 15 years.
According to Dr. LeSar “The technology has advanced dramatically, when I was a young doctor many years ago I was interested in the circulation system and how that worked and when we did surgeries for patients they were always open surgeries we had to open the body go inside and physically fix something repair something do a bypass around something.  Now we can treat the most all the arteries and veins from inside. We call it endovascular inside the vascular system and a lot of the procedures we do now, I’ll say it this way I was never trained to do in my surgical residency. We had to train and learn this over time using learning the technology working with companies to help us get better at what we do.”
Again, this is technology no other vascular surgeon in town has access to at the moment. This particular patient walked out of the office under her own power about an hour and a half later with her pain having subsided and her balance issues stayed in the operating room.

Chief Scientist visits MIT seeking partnerships with U.S. research titans

Science and Health

Chief Scientist for Research, Innovation, and Technology, Demetris Skourides, visited the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on 19 November, according to a press release.

During the visit, Skourides met with Professor Kamal Youcef-Toumi, director of MIT’s Mechatronics Research Laboratory, who showcased his team’s research projects focusing on artificial intelligence and machine learning. The two officials discussed potential collaboration between Cypriot research organisations and MIT’s laboratory.

The visit included meetings with Marina Hatsopoulos, board chair of Levitronix Technologies and president of the Hellenic Innovation Network. Skourides acknowledged the network’s support in helping Cypriot companies enter the US market.

Skourides outlined Cyprus’ recent initiatives under the Deputy Ministry of Digital Policy, Research, and Innovation, including plans to establish agreements with countries known for advanced research. He detailed incentives implemented to attract global startups through coordinated efforts with the Research and Innovation Foundation and Invest Cyprus.

Hatsopoulos shared MIT’s approach to innovation commercialisation, presenting a licensing framework designed to encourage researchers to market their discoveries.

The Cypriot official also met with Elaine Papoulias, executive director at Harvard University, and Dr Albana Shehaj from Harvard’s Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies. The parties explored potential research partnerships, supporting Cyprus’ ambition to become a regional technology hub.

In a separate meeting, Anna Protopapas, a Cypriot entrepreneur and Cyprus Seeds board member, discussed strategies to boost Cyprus’s biotechnology sector, which aligns with the country’s healthcare priorities.

Chief Scientist visits MIT seeking partnerships with U.S. research titans

Science and Health

Chief Scientist for Research, Innovation, and Technology, Demetris Skourides, visited the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on 19 November, according to a press release.

During the visit, Skourides met with Professor Kamal Youcef-Toumi, director of MIT’s Mechatronics Research Laboratory, who showcased his team’s research projects focusing on artificial intelligence and machine learning. The two officials discussed potential collaboration between Cypriot research organisations and MIT’s laboratory.

The visit included meetings with Marina Hatsopoulos, board chair of Levitronix Technologies and president of the Hellenic Innovation Network. Skourides acknowledged the network’s support in helping Cypriot companies enter the US market.

Skourides outlined Cyprus’ recent initiatives under the Deputy Ministry of Digital Policy, Research, and Innovation, including plans to establish agreements with countries known for advanced research. He detailed incentives implemented to attract global startups through coordinated efforts with the Research and Innovation Foundation and Invest Cyprus.

Hatsopoulos shared MIT’s approach to innovation commercialisation, presenting a licensing framework designed to encourage researchers to market their discoveries.

The Cypriot official also met with Elaine Papoulias, executive director at Harvard University, and Dr Albana Shehaj from Harvard’s Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies. The parties explored potential research partnerships, supporting Cyprus’ ambition to become a regional technology hub.

In a separate meeting, Anna Protopapas, a Cypriot entrepreneur and Cyprus Seeds board member, discussed strategies to boost Cyprus’s biotechnology sector, which aligns with the country’s healthcare priorities.

Local Austin retailers prepared for Small Business Saturday 

Business News

Tony Curtis-Wellings, founder of Faraday’s Kitchen Store, started readying his store for the holiday season back in August. To be ready for November and December, Curtis-Wellings orders three times Faraday’s inventory level. He works with his staff to train and identify promotions in the store and starts running new digital advertisements daily in November. This is all to prepare the kitchen store to make 70% of its annual revenue and 100% of its profit in two short months, with a majority of that occurring on Black Friday and Small Business Saturday. “For the kitchen store side of the business, this is a really important time for us,” Curtis-Wellings said.Small Business Saturday was created by American Express in 2010 to support small businesses and encourage consumers to shop local between the major sales holidays of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. The U.S. Small Business Association has co-sponsored the event since 2011.American Express reported this year that consumers have spent about $201 billion on Small Business Saturday since its inception“Small Business Saturday is more than a day. It is an opportunity for Austinites to invest in what makes our city unique — our diverse and creative small businesses,” wrote Sylnovia Holt-Rabb, director of Austin’s Economic Development Department, in a statement. Local Austin retailers, like Faraday’s Kitchen Store, are readying for the holiday and encouraging Austinites to shop locally on Saturday, especially after a year filled with inflation and economic turmoil for some business owners. Pei Sim, owner of local stationery and paper goods store the Paper and Craft Pantry, focuses solely on Small Business Saturday every year and closes her storefront to allow her staff to take a break before the busy holiday shopping season. On Saturday, The Paper and Craft Pantry is hosting a vendor pop-up market with over a dozen other small businesses at its storefront to celebrate Small Business Saturday and encourage Austinites to shop locally. “I love being really intentional with the products we have in our shop, and finding really great, unique, quality goods from all over the world that people that love paper goods are just really excited to find,” Sim said. In preparation for the sales holiday and market, Sim said the storefront is staffing extra personnel that day and even some days throughout the holiday season to offer better customer service and support the store as more and more people come in. The Paper and Craft Pantry will have new merchandise and will include goodies with purchases at the market. As part of the market, vendors donate what would be a vendor fee to local nonprofits, with this year’s recipients being Black Mamas ATX and the local chapter of the Make a Wish Foundation.Like The Paper and Craft Pantry, Paws on Chicon is also supporting a local nonprofit on the sales holiday with a charity drive to support Austin Animal Center’s Orange Dot Crew. The pet store, which has a focus on pet nutrition, will have a giving tree and will host discount and sale items to support the nonprofit as a kickoff to the holiday season along with deals on Black Friday and Small Business Saturday.Tim Andrews, managing partner at Paws on Chicon, said supporting local businesses is essential during the holiday season and will impact Austinites more directly than they realize. “Austin is a very expensive place to live, and local independent merchants tend to pay their staff better than big box stores do, and when people spend money in locally owned business, the vast majority of that money stays right here in the Austin community,” Andrews said. “It goes directly back into the economy here in Austin. So, it’s not only good for the merchant and the merchant’s employees, but it’s good overall for the community, because it keeps that money here and flowing.” Shopping doesn’t slow down even for furry family members, Andrews said. To prepare the store, Paws on Chicon packed the store with extra inventory to assure shelves can remain stocked throughout November and December and ordered special holiday-themed gifts and toys for pets and pet-lovers alike. “I normally don’t remember much of it, it’s all hands on deck in the store all day long,” Andrews said about the holiday season. As holiday shopping picks up, focusing on locally owned stores is even more important and will offer customers a better overall shopping experience because it is more educational and personal, Sim said. “People going out of their way to support a small business means a lot because they’re choosing actively to support a person. They’re choosing to go for quality over quantity,” Sim said. “And I love that. Specifically on Small Business Saturday, it’s become a day that really highlights local businesses.”

Local Austin retailers prepared for Small Business Saturday 

Business News

Tony Curtis-Wellings, founder of Faraday’s Kitchen Store, started readying his store for the holiday season back in August. To be ready for November and December, Curtis-Wellings orders three times Faraday’s inventory level. He works with his staff to train and identify promotions in the store and starts running new digital advertisements daily in November. This is all to prepare the kitchen store to make 70% of its annual revenue and 100% of its profit in two short months, with a majority of that occurring on Black Friday and Small Business Saturday. “For the kitchen store side of the business, this is a really important time for us,” Curtis-Wellings said.Small Business Saturday was created by American Express in 2010 to support small businesses and encourage consumers to shop local between the major sales holidays of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. The U.S. Small Business Association has co-sponsored the event since 2011.American Express reported this year that consumers have spent about $201 billion on Small Business Saturday since its inception“Small Business Saturday is more than a day. It is an opportunity for Austinites to invest in what makes our city unique — our diverse and creative small businesses,” wrote Sylnovia Holt-Rabb, director of Austin’s Economic Development Department, in a statement. Local Austin retailers, like Faraday’s Kitchen Store, are readying for the holiday and encouraging Austinites to shop locally on Saturday, especially after a year filled with inflation and economic turmoil for some business owners. Pei Sim, owner of local stationery and paper goods store the Paper and Craft Pantry, focuses solely on Small Business Saturday every year and closes her storefront to allow her staff to take a break before the busy holiday shopping season. On Saturday, The Paper and Craft Pantry is hosting a vendor pop-up market with over a dozen other small businesses at its storefront to celebrate Small Business Saturday and encourage Austinites to shop locally. “I love being really intentional with the products we have in our shop, and finding really great, unique, quality goods from all over the world that people that love paper goods are just really excited to find,” Sim said. In preparation for the sales holiday and market, Sim said the storefront is staffing extra personnel that day and even some days throughout the holiday season to offer better customer service and support the store as more and more people come in. The Paper and Craft Pantry will have new merchandise and will include goodies with purchases at the market. As part of the market, vendors donate what would be a vendor fee to local nonprofits, with this year’s recipients being Black Mamas ATX and the local chapter of the Make a Wish Foundation.Like The Paper and Craft Pantry, Paws on Chicon is also supporting a local nonprofit on the sales holiday with a charity drive to support Austin Animal Center’s Orange Dot Crew. The pet store, which has a focus on pet nutrition, will have a giving tree and will host discount and sale items to support the nonprofit as a kickoff to the holiday season along with deals on Black Friday and Small Business Saturday.Tim Andrews, managing partner at Paws on Chicon, said supporting local businesses is essential during the holiday season and will impact Austinites more directly than they realize. “Austin is a very expensive place to live, and local independent merchants tend to pay their staff better than big box stores do, and when people spend money in locally owned business, the vast majority of that money stays right here in the Austin community,” Andrews said. “It goes directly back into the economy here in Austin. So, it’s not only good for the merchant and the merchant’s employees, but it’s good overall for the community, because it keeps that money here and flowing.” Shopping doesn’t slow down even for furry family members, Andrews said. To prepare the store, Paws on Chicon packed the store with extra inventory to assure shelves can remain stocked throughout November and December and ordered special holiday-themed gifts and toys for pets and pet-lovers alike. “I normally don’t remember much of it, it’s all hands on deck in the store all day long,” Andrews said about the holiday season. As holiday shopping picks up, focusing on locally owned stores is even more important and will offer customers a better overall shopping experience because it is more educational and personal, Sim said. “People going out of their way to support a small business means a lot because they’re choosing actively to support a person. They’re choosing to go for quality over quantity,” Sim said. “And I love that. Specifically on Small Business Saturday, it’s become a day that really highlights local businesses.”