Small-Business Owners Like Me Are Here for Each Other. REACH OUT!
COVID-19 has been felt around the world. The level of uncertainty is palpable in each and every industry. While researching and looking for information about COVID-19 and small businesses, I could not help but come back to one thing: as a business owner myself, my business is my baby.
I helped create this idea and nurtured that place into what it became. I have been everything for it – CEO, Accountant, Marketing Executive, Customer Service Rep, Custodian. Now, the doors had to close, not because of failure but because of COVID-19.
Many have told me, “It’s temporary, and so it is fine.” If you have never owned a small business, I understand how that would be the opinion. However, most small-business owners don’t have the luxury of closing for three days, let alone two or four weeks.
The stress of not paying bills, not being able to pay employees, having to let people go…it’s not fun. No one wanted this.
For the people who have lost their jobs, our hearts go out to you. It wasn’t deserved and most definitely not fair.
For my fellow business owners, I know the first feeling you had. The panic! First looking at bank accounts, bills, then budgeting for best and worst case scenarios. I thought of everyone I would need to talk to and what money could go where at what time. Then…it happened. The defeat. The feeling that you let people down, you let your baby down.
The long-term effects of this can make the difference in staying open or shutting down, and that is the reality that is facing millions right now.
But this is when we have to go back to that person who had the idea in the first place. The what, where, how and why of starting a business. It’s step one again.
This is what we wanted, but here is the wall blocking us from achieving it. We busted that wall down before. We will do it again. We do what we were meant to…invent. Our businesses were born from our ingenuity, blood, sweat and tears. We were made for this. Circumstances have changed, but we haven’t.
Personally, my business is a personal training studio. At that defeated state, I had a conversation with Dana, our leader here at Kinetic. She shared her ideas down to times of the day and price points. So, my business started brainstorming. FaceTime, Zoom, Twitch – all platforms we can utilize to still train our clients and attract more. Workouts, training tactics and equipment all must change. We will still provide the same services we always have. It will just look a little different.
My first stab at writing this was a failure because I was looking for references and tips, when all I needed as a small-business owner was someone to say, “Hey, this is what I think would be good FOR YOU.” No one knows a small business better than the owner, and there is no better resource and person to brainstorm with than another small-business owner. We all are here for each other and we must adapt to this situation.
If you are a small-business owner, I encourage you to reach out. Don’t get stuck in the panic or defeated state. If you would like to contact me and have a virtual brainstorm, my email is zac@kineticmc.com. Remember, we are all in this together, and we will overcome it.
