A number of Apple small business initiatives have helped tiny companies become bigger ones, says the Cupertino company, in the run-up to National Small Business Week.
A number of business have shared how Apple products, apps, and services have helped them grow – and anyone wanting to follow their example can take place in special Today at Apple workshops, Grow Your Business With Apple …
National Small Business Week
National Small Business Week is a US government initiative.
For more than 50 years, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has celebrated National Small Business Week, which recognizes the critical contributions of America’s entrepreneurs and small business owners.
A number of companies are offering free presentations, though a lot of them do look rather spammy …
Apple small business support
Apple is highlighting the support it offers to small businesses, through Apple Business Essentials, Apple Business Connect, and Tap to Pay on iPhone.
Apple Business Essentials
Apple Business Essentials is described as “one complete subscription that seamlessly brings together device management, 24/7 support, and cloud storage. With Apple Business Essentials, your small business can easily manage every iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV – every step of the way.”
The company says that it helps manage every step of putting a new Apple device to work in your business:
- Setup
- Onboarding
- Backup
- Security
- Support
- Repairs
- Updates
Apple Business Connect
Apple Business Connect is a way to provide an enhanced entry on Apple Maps, including opening hours, photos, offers, and events.
Tap to Pay on iPhone
Tap to Pay on iPhone is a way to use your iPhone as a payment terminal for contactless payments, without any additional hardware.
Payment apps can now accept contactless payments from contactless credit or debit cards, Apple Pay, Apple Watch, and smartphones with other digital wallets — right on iPhone and without any extra terminals or hardware.
With over two thirds of all credit and debit cards in the U.S. issued as contactless-enabled cards, and rapidly increasing adoption of contactless payments, merchants will be able to seamlessly accept payments through a simple tap on their iPhone from most customers.
A “street food phenomenon, powered by iPad”
Apple gives three examples of small businesses which have grown using Apple devices and services, one of which is Señor Sisig.
In the San Francisco Bay Area, Señor Sisig, originally a small food truck business powered by iPad, has expanded into a local Filipino street food phenom using Apple Business Essentials and a fleet of Apple devices […]
With their fleet of four food trucks and three brick-and-mortar restaurants across the San Francisco Bay Area, Evan Kidera and Gil Payumo are on a quest: bringing sisig — a tangy street food staple in the Philippines made of minced pork — to the masses in the form of burritos, tacos, nachos, and fries.
The pair launched their business, Señor Sisig, out of a single truck in 2010. “At the time, we really felt that sisig could be the iconic dish of the Philippines that spreads around the world,” Kidera says. “But we had to start off putting it in something people would feel comfortable with and not intimidated by. The hope is that sisig is just like the California roll or the burrito, where it cracks the seal for everything.”
The masses came forth and devoured, and the business grew from there. “Being a food truck was pretty hard when we started out,” Kidera explains. “There wasn’t much out there to support mobile businesses, aside from iPhone. And then the original iPad came right after that. I think iPad was really the thing that allowed us to grow as a mobile business; the timing of it was just great, because we were able to take payments on the go without having to rely only on cash.”
Señor Sisig’s employees use Apple devices to keep track of inventory, monitor sales, and communicate between stores.
Other examples given are streetwear brand Kids of Immigrants, and formalwear rental company Darianna Bridal & Tuxedo.
Grow Your Business With Apple
Apple is also promoting workshops available at some Apple Stores, and online.
To celebrate National Small Business Week (April 30 to May 6), select Apple Store locations in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Chicago will host Today at Apple sessions titled “Grow Your Business With Apple.”
These free sessions offer small businesses expertise on how to make it easy to customize their presence across Apple apps with Apple Business Connect, accept payments with Tap to Pay on iPhone, and get support and manage devices with Apple Business Essentials. Businesses can also sign up for a virtual session scheduled for June 14.
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