It's time for us to all get smarter about our economy and how it works.

Today I talk with John Lettieri, President and CEO of the Economic Innovation Group, to get a better sense of how this crisis is unfolding and what the economic realities were before the trouble started. While the economy was "strong" before the crisis. the reality is that some sectors, and some parts of the country, had barely started recovering from the Great Recession.

As John says, we have no prior analog for this crisis, so history is not a great guide. But unless we understand the crisis in context we have no hope of what we're dealing with and where we are most vulnerable.

The Economic Innovation Group

https://eig.org/

indie.biz

www.indie.biz

On today's show I talk with Katie Vlietstra Wonnenberg of the National Association for the Self-Employed (https://www.nase.org/) and Public Private Strategies (https://www.publicprivatestrategies.com/) about what the CARES Act means for small businesses and the self-employed. There's good news and bad news and some not-yet news. But there are also things that you should be doing now to take advantage of the federal relief money that's available.

indie.biz

www.indie.biz

SBA's site on the Paycheck Protection Program

https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/loans/paycheck-protection-program

Economic Injury Disaster Loans & Emergency Economic Injury Grants online application

https://covid19relief.sba.gov/#/

Find a local SBA office https://www.sba.gov/local-assistance/find/?type=SBA%20District%20Office&pageNumber=1

If a crisis is a terrible thing to waste, what are we going to do with this one?

The economic damage will be significant--it's already started and it will be getting worse before it gets better. Mitigating the damage will mean taking radical steps to protect our small businesses. The failure to do that in 2008 had massive repercussions that we still don't fully understand.

This is a tough time for everyone—and particularly our independent businesses. My goal is to start and honest conversation about this essential topic at this critical time.

In the coming weeks we will bring on guests who can help make sense of the crisis and share ideas for what can be done.

References:

indie.biz

www.indie.biz

David Smick, The Great Equalizer

https://www.alibris.com/The-Great-Equalizer-How-Main-Street-Capitalism-Can-Create-an-Economy-for-Everyone-David-M-Smick/book/35310782?matches=39

https://www.amazon.com/Great-Equalizer-Capitalism-Economy-Everyone-ebook/dp/B01KT2DTNI/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3794YI3VLSL5N&keywords=the+great+equalizer&qid=1585330427&sprefix=great+equalizer%2Caps%2C218&sr=8-3

Edmund Phelps, Mass Flourishing

https://www.alibris.com/booksearch?keyword=mass+flourishing&mtype=B&hs.x=0&hs.y=0

https://www.amazon.com/Mass-Flourishing-Grassroots-Innovation-Challenge/dp/0691165793/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1585330459&sr=8-2

Peter Drucker, Entrepreneurship and Innovation

https://www.alibris.com/Innovation-and-Entrepreneurship-Peter-F-Drucker/book/3236858?matches=83

https://www.amazon.com/Innovation-Entrepreneurship-Peter-F-Drucker-ebook/dp/B000FC12BO/ref=sr_1_3?crid=87UTNFFZRZY3&keywords=innovation+and+entrepreneurship+by+peter+drucker&qid=1585330492&sprefix=innovation+and+en%2Caps%2C215&sr=8-3

This is the last show in the first season of the Age of Independents. I wanted to take a moment to review where things are and where I want to take things moving forward. I also address the big question: Why I am bothering to do this?

This will be the last show for a couple of months. See you this summer!

Check out the Overcast Room:

http://www.cloudstudiosseattle.com/podcast-studio-rental/#booknow

And if you're starting your own thing, be sure to take a look at indie.biz

www.indie.biz

Two years ago, Ted, Matthew, Greg and Sam decided to quit their jobs and start their own product design studio. One of their greatest assets launching their company? Their trust in one another and their willingness to make it work in unconventional ways. www.workwithsupply.com

www.indie.biz

A couple of years ago, Jenny Nordin decided to turn Dog Gone Seattle, her online community of Seattle-area dog lovers, into a non-profit focused on rescuing abandoned dogs and finding them good homes. Since then, Jenny and a small army of volunteers have rescued around 1,500 dogs --or more than one dog per day.

Check out the organization and all of their cute doggies:

doggoneseattle.org

facebook.com/doggoneseattle

https://www.doggoneseattle.org/adoptable-dogs/

Toyia Taylor has a passion for helping people, and especially kids, "Speak with Purpose"; finding their own true voices and using them to speak with authenticity and confidence. In our conversation we get into how her story led her to this work and how it has become her life mission. You can see more about her company, We.APP, on her site (Theweappstudio.com).

Chanel Reynolds started the blog Get Your Shit Together to help other people prepare for the one thing that's both inevitable and unexpected.

See Chanel's work:

http://GYST.com

https://getyourshittogether.org/

Chanel's new book: What Matters Most: The Get Your Shit Together Guide to Wills, Money, Insurance, and Life’s “What-ifs”

https://amzn.to/2SwT24Kt

https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780062689436?aff=indiebiz

Johan Liedgren is a filmmaker, storyteller, business strategist and true independent. He's also a person who understands how to share the practical wisdom he's garnered over his varied career. We cover a bunch of ground in this conversation, but no matter what business you're in you can learn something from Johan's experience and perspective. Also be sure to check out his work at http://www.liedgren.com/

Luis Velez is the creative force behind the new indie fashion brand, Guillermo Bravo. Luis' passion for sneakers and his die-hard commitment to creating his own in his own way, can serve as an inspiration for any creative person who has a vision and wants to make it real.

Be sure to check out his stuff:

https://guillermo-bravo.com/

https://www.instagram.com/guillermo_bravo_/