SAN FRANCISCO - Opening the Mom's The Word maternity store on Sacramento Street in San Francisco 23 years ago wasn't easy, say the owners.

But it was nothing compared to applying for federal relief for small businesses.
"The hardest thing I've done in 23 years by a long a shot," says co-owner Sarah Pollak.
The owners have applied for about $96,000 through the paycheck protection program, or PPP, for their seven employees. That took eight days.
They're still waiting for the money.
"I want to pay my staff. They need money. They need it today. They haven't had a paycheck in three weeks. That's not okay," she says.
The PPP is a $349 billion life raft designed to get cash into the hands of small business owners, (those with fewer than 500 employees), who are being crushed by the coronavirus pandemic.
Small business advocacy groups say the SBA is being overwhelmed and that it is severely understaffed.
"Not enough money. Not enough infrastructure. You are not going to get money to small businesses quick enough," says Lloyd Chapman, who heads the American Small Business League, based in the Bay Area. Time is crucial.

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