Important Resources to Help Small Businesses

As a blogger, I consider myself a very small business owner. I work online and social distancing doesn’t prohibit me from getting my blog posted. Unless of course you figure that my kids are here 24/7, and would prefer that I didn’t work and just watched cartoons with them all day.

I think that we can all agree that life has changed pretty dramatically for all of us these last few weeks. Social distancing’s impact on small business has ranged from a minor nuisance for some to catastrophic for others. Consider for a moment all of the small businesses in your local community: the hair salons, the independent grocer, the local diner, the bookshop. Amazing right? I bet you didn’t realize there were that many small businesses in your community. Most of the time we tend to take for granted those small businesses in our communities until we need them. But in reality, many of these businesses have very small margins in which they operate. Meaning having very little or no business for a few days or weeks and they may be out of business.

So this current crisis, is now forcing us all into social distancing and has closed the doors of many small businesses. If you’re a small business owner it’s essential that you review your Business Continuity Plan. If you don’t have a plan or are looking for resources to assist you you may want to check out Ready.Gov.

Have you thought about evaluating social distancing’s impact on your business? By reviewing the overall impact, you can determine what recovery strategies will be right for your business. Here are a few questions and resources that may help you along the way.

Consider these Questions during your Evaluation

1.What’s the immediate impact to the business? What processes have stopped or need to be changed?

2. What’s the long term impact to the business?

3. What is the estimated financial impact immediately and 12 months from now?

4. Can you or your staff work remotely? What resources are needed to set up and maintain this solution?

5. Are there expenses that can be eliminated short and long term?

11 Ideas for Small Business Survival during Crisis

Many small businesses will have to be nimble in order to survive during this economic crisis.

You’ve probably heard about some restaurants that have dramatically changed their offerings to acclimate to this new environment – moving from fine dining to sandwich take out. We have a favorite French restaurant in Philadelphia that’s now offering bread and coffee through a takeout window to survive. The world has changed dramatically and as a business you need to adapt very quickly. Consider some of these questions as they pertain to your business.

1. If your current product or service isn’t selling what are the barriers?

2. Do you primarily sell offline or in a retail store? Can you sell online, do you have a website? Don’t be afraid to contact a professional for marketing & branding efforts. Agencies are there to help and are small businesses themselves.

Kenney Marketing & Advertising, Inc. is offering a complimentary small business consultation during this crisis. Contact

3. Do you have a list of your current customers? Consider creating an email campaign and let them know how they can continue to support you as a customer. Can you offer referral or new customer discounts?

4. Consumer Needs – Can you modify your current product or service offerings to fit with what consumers need right now?

5. More people are online – more of the time. Take advantage of this by marketing online. If you haven’t already, create social media profiles for your business and claim your Google business listings.

6. Make a list of all of the industries and types of businesses that are in need right and consider how you can integrate your business into those areas. These are the industries the U.S. Government has deemed essential right now.

7. Set up a Blog – I set up my blog through WordPress.org. A blog can generate revenue through ads or by becoming an affiliate for brands like Amazon or Target.

Affiliate Links – As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

When you click on my link to Amazon or Target and purchase something, I get compensated. Consider becoming an affiliate for a brand.

9. If you have product that you can sell. Consider opening a store on Etsy or Ebay.

10. Promote gift cards or pre-paid gift cards for an immediate infusion of cash.

11. Can you stream or create a video of your service? Some fitness professionals are now streaming their services. I recently heard about wineries now offering wine tasting events online with purchase of their wine.

7 Important Small Business Resources

If you’re a small business and are struggling, resources are available for small businesses that need help. More resources are coming online every day.

1. Small Business Administration – Visit the SBA.gov website for Coronavirus guidance and loan resources. Apply online for Disaster Loan Assistance.

2.Small Business Assistance in PA – Covid-19 Business Resources for Pennsylvania. If you’re outside of Pennsylvania, check with your state’s governors office for information on resources that may be available to small businesses.

3.Facebook Grants – Facebook announced in March that it will be providing $100M in grants and advertising to small businesses in more than 30 countries.

4.Facebook Tips and Resources – Facebook has compiled toolkit and best practices to help small businesses adapt during this crisis.

5.Banks – Check with your bank if you have a small business loan and are having trouble making payments. Many banks are offering small businesses the opportunity to delay payments or interest.

6. U.S.Chamber.Gov – Important Resources for Small Businesses, including Coronavirus Small Business Survival Guide.

7. Emergency Paycheck Loans – Businesses can submit an application to SBA-approved lender. Businesses may have some or all of their loans forgiven.

5 Ways to Support Small Businesses during Social Distancing

As a community it’s vitally important that we support small businesses in any way that we can. After all, we need and want these businesses to be available for us when social distancing comes to an end.

1. Gift Cards – Consider purchasing gift cards from small businesses for future use. If you frequent a local hair or nail salon – purchase gift cards to use in the future.

2. Shop Online – Before you go to big name online retailers, check to see if your local business has a website or online presence.

3. Take Out – In many areas restaurants have closed their in-dining areas for at least the next couple of weeks. Call for take out or delivery from your local restaurant. OpenTable has partnered with delivery services to provide takeout from Restaurants on the OpenTable network.

4. Prepay for things you Need – Similar to gift cards, prepay for services that you use regularly. If you have a home cleaner or babysitter – pay for services now that you can use at a future time.

5. Referrals – recommend small businesses to your friends, family and neighbors through social media. This is a free and easy way to support local small businesses. Write reviews and post on social media to help provide businesses with free advertising during this critical time.