Amazon Business, the company's procurement storefront, is kicking off its second Small Business Month to support the growth of the target grantees and inspire innovation for the good of local communities.
Amazon's Small Busines Support
It's not a good economic environment for small businesses as of late, which is why assistance from company giants may come as a huge help. A lot of small business owners are faced with many financial challenges when it comes to keeping their business running.
A poll from US-based small business decision-makers states that 63% are worried about high inflation, 39% about economic recession, and 30% about supply chain disruptions. With these issues, staying within the budget may be a hard thing to achieve, let alone flourish.
500 respondents who are 18 years or older, all of which are small business owners in the US, contributed to the Amazon Business poll. They provided data on online purchasing patterns, challenges and opportunities affecting the purchasing process, and more.
91% of the mentioned business owners believe that finding items within their price range is a key factor in business growth in the long run, while 88% say that it's a business' capability to find the items they need to grow their business.
Director of Amazon Business Worldwide, Todd Heimes said that small business customers face unique challenges while operating with more limited resources. Amazon Business will provide the company's "selection and convenience" along with tools tools and processes.
Businesses eligible are those that make less than $1 million a year in revenue. Amazon Business is operational in several countries such as the US, the UK, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and India.
Business Grants
Existing Amazon Business customers can only apply once per Business Account and must be a resident of the United States to be eligible applicants. Businesses that apply could win more than $250,000 in grants.
There will be several recipients for the assistance, with one grand-prize winner and a group of finalists. The semi-finalists will receive money grants, Business Prime memberships, and certain Amazon devices. Applications will end by May 21st, with winners announced on July 17th.
The grand prize comes with a $25,000 money grant, one year of Business Prime, an Eero for Business 6E kit, a Kindle Scribe with premium pen, and free one-hour consultation with the Business team from Amazon.
There will be four finalists, all of which will receive $20,000 in monetary grants, along with the free Amazon devices and consultation services as the grand prize. The ten semi-finalists will get $15,000 in grants, one year of Business Prime, and the two mentioned Amazon devices.
In order to apply, the business owner will need an Amazon Business account and be signed in. Otherwise, the "Apply Now" button will not appear. 15 semi-finalists will be selected and business customers will vote for which entry will receive the mentioned grants.
If a small business qualifies to be the recipient of the grant, the admin of the account will be notified by Amazon business through email.
