AMAZON RECRUITING SMALL BIZ HELP FOR LAST-MILE DELIVERY
Key Point: The goal of the new Amazon Hub Delivery program is to recruit 2,500 small necessary businesses as last-mile delivery partners. No delivery experience is required, though it will be for those who join Amazon Hub Delivery to make daily local deliveries utilizing their employees and vehicles. Partners will also need to store packages at their facility until delivery can be made.
Amazon says small businesses will be able to realize an annual revenue of up to $27,000 for their assistance. The program proved its feasibility during beta testing in rural areas over the past few years and is now open to businesses across the nation. You can sign up here — or recommend businesses for the program and receive a $1,000 finder’s fee.
SBA TO HOST SECOND ANNUAL CYBERSECURITY SUMMIT
Key Point: This event is scheduled for October, but it may be a good idea to get your (free) tickets now for the weekly online meeting. Cybersecurity is a critical issue, and threats from bad actors are growing in intensity and reach.
Here’s what one SBA associate administrator, Mark Madrid, had to say about the fall summit: “The rapidly evolving and interconnected world continues to present new challenges for small business owners, and it is our objective to empower them with the proper tools. Through our SBA Cyber Summit, the goal is to bolster the confidence and the know-how of our resilient U.S. small businesses to deal with these cyber challenges head-on.”
Speakers scheduled for the month-long series (October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month) include representatives of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the private sector, major tech platforms, and others. Here’s where to go to secure your ticket.
THE HOME DEPOT LAUNCHES $500M COST-SAVINGS PLAN
Key Point: The Home Depot is embarking on a $500 million “cost savings push” to reduce fixed overhead related to its supply chain holding capacity. During the COVID pandemic, many retailers found it necessary to increase warehouse capacity, but that need is no longer as severe.
Touting The Home Depot’s 2017 goal of serving 90% of U.S. citizens with next-day or same-day delivery, an executive vice president of the company said that goal produced “the fastest, most reliable, and most efficient supply chain in home improvement.”
That announcement followed a pullback in customer demand that dropped the company’s income for the first quarter of 2023 by 6.4% year-over-year.
RATING THE WORLD’S MOST VALUABLE BRANDS
Key Point: Which companies are the most valuable global brands? A Kantar Global Z report says the top spots go to Apple, Google, and Microsoft. No surprises there, but you may find a few nuggets in the pile: Coca-Cola is back in the top 10, Airtel received kudos as the fastest-growing, and Pampers came in at number 100.
Exactly how valuable are the top three, though? Apple is valued at $880 billion, Google at $578 billion, and Microsoft at $502 billion. And Pampers? A mere $17 billion. It’s a fun, eye-opening read … and you can download the full report free. Be sure to check how Amazon and McDonald’s fared in the rankings.
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