San Diego has remained in the state’s second tier (red tier) for nearly two months. With that stability, businesses have been able to operate with a degree of consistency. Now with some ability for businesses to look further ahead, the City of Carlsbad’s Office of Innovation + Economic Development wants to provide a reminder of a few different opportunities for our businesses.

As the State of California and the County of San Diego continue to move through the process of recovery and reopening, the City of Carlsbad is interested in hearing from Carlsbad businesses. The city would like to better assess the ongoing effects of COVID-19 and better understand the impact and outlook for businesses, including continuing challenges.

Please take a few moments to provide information that may be used to guide city programs that support businesses. The survey should take about seven minutes to complete and will close Wednesday, November 25, at 5:00 PM.

73 Carlsbad merchants have signed up for Gift Carlsbad – the bonus eGift Card program that drives revenue to local businesses. With the holidays right around the corner, the Carlsbad Chamber, Carlsbad Village Association, Visit Carlsbad and the city will all be promoting this opportunity to holiday shoppers. Merchants receive the total purchase revenue quickly, and shoppers receive a bonus amount funded by the City of Carlsbad and Carlsbad Ready Business Alliance, a Win-Win situation.

Any Carlsbad business can participate and joining is easy. Most businesses are able to sign up and set up their account in about 10 minutes. Sign up at GiftCarlsbad.com today. Chamber staff and CVA staff are available to guide businesses through the quick and easy signup process.

How it works: Each time a customer buys an eGift Card through the online marketplace, they will receive a bonus eGift Card as well. Bonus funds and administrative fees are paid for by the Ready Carlsbad Business Alliance and the City of Carlsbad, meaning merchants receive the full amount.

The Carlsbad Business Loan Program provides funding to Carlsbad small businesses to keep operations going. There are two loan types for Carlsbad small businesses. The first are small business microloans of between $5,000 -$10,000 for businesses with $2,000,000 or less in gross revenue or 15 or fewer employees. The second are small business recovery loans of between $10,000 - $25,000 for businesses with $3,000,000 or less in gross revenue and 50 or fewer employees. Both loans types include scaled interest rates depending on how quickly the loan can be repaid. Neither loan type is forgivable. Access the application here.

If you have questions about any of the programs described, please contact us at [email protected].