Coronavirus Impact on Small Business - Week Two Recap

So far we are keeping the doors open,ladies needing supplies to sew masks.The sewing world always amazes me they are very charitable people.Quilts of valor is a great example.Now an emergency and they are on it. We are out of elastic trying to get more on the way.Business has slowed and I am keeping employees at a minimum. But the doors will be open as long as it is safe to do so.

The problem with taking out a loan is that it has to be paid back.  While that is all well and good for a big business,  for a small business it could be a big problem.  Especially if business doesn't pick back up after the pandemic has cleared. I have two employees plus myself,  and I still have to pay utilities and taxes, plus payroll for the two employees. I can't afford a loan. A grant might help, as long as it doesn't have to be repaid, and sometimes even they have to be repaid. I love what I do, but I hope for things to be better.

95 % of my clients are the ones who were forced to close their doors due to the Covid 19 outbreak world wide. 
I haven't seen anything that clearly states help for a small business like mine which is a Sole proprietorship business. 
I am greatly concerned that businesses like mine ( in terms of ownership and business structure ) will fall between the cracks and not qualify for assistance, yet we make up a significant percentage of the self employed numbers. 
If anyone finds clear answers on how the new stimulus package will help businesses like ours, please come back on here and share.
Stay strong everyone, we are all in this together and the bumpy ride is far from over.

I have applied for an SBA loan to cover payroll and some fixed costs for six months.  I have negotiated with our bank to defer three months of mortgage payments to help with cash flow.  My partners and I are all putting in money to get us through the payroll coming up Monday.  We have a few hotel guests, not all of them can pay.  If the SBA loan does not come through for next payroll (4/13), I am not sure what we will do.  We still must pay employees benefit hours and for the actual work that does exist.  Many are at home for health and child care reasons.  We do not know when the traveling public will be able to resume our normal habits of visiting and working away from home.  But we aim to keep our doors open through all of it.

As of yesterday our Governor has decided   that construction is now a NON ESSENTIAL business. Well it is essential to me,  my family and my employee's and to mention my customers. Majority of our work is exterior work, that has no contact with others, my crews follow safe work practices, and I feel that his order is too broad and should be defined better.  its ok for suppliers of materials to be open but not the companies that will be buying those supplies. Makes NO sense to me.  If   you going to SHUT DOWN the entire STATE than do it.. If not be more CAREFUL who you think is NON ESSENTIAL

Hopefully I will still be in business after this outbreak . This has stopped everything . Havent made any money in weeks and bills have to be paid . 

I have a technology that will stop the covid19 in its tracks, through resonance fielding no meds required, and have been advertising since 2011 in indexing patients, It also has good results for cancer, Nobody believes me. 

I am self employed from home

 I clean, repair and install window blinds.
My business is reduced because most people are self isolating and do not want me in their homes. 

I still have some business cleaning and repaired Blinds 

They can drop Blinds off at my home and collect them later.
I am able to help people purchase Blinds from a business where I know they will get a good deal. 

My reputation they still sound, and I know we will get through this eventually.

We have to stay safe and be nice to people!

Not my comment, got this from my son this morning. 

CS Lewis wrote the following in The Screwtape Letters in 1942.

Satan, “I will cause anxiety, fear and panic. I will shut down business, schools, places of worship, and sports events. I will cause economic turmoil.”

Jesus, “I will bring together neighbors, restore the family unit, I will bring dinner back to the kitchen table. I will help people slow down their lives and appreciate what really matters. I will teach my children to rely on me and not the world. I will teach my children to trust me and not their money and material resources.”

This, too, will pass. 

Bejng self employed with my own cruise and vacation planning business, this has impacted me in a huge way. Everything came to a screeching halt.

  I am so glad to be part of a large global travel network affiliated with American Express so it has been helpful to have the support from them in so many ways. 

I just decided today to put together small gift bags for the nurse and doctor staff at local hospitals with my cruise theme bags and goodies and include some useful things along with a note on the back of my business cards with a thank you for their service. 

While we are at home staying away from the risk, they are on the front line facing it. Wow. I have to show my support and thanks! Thank you to everyone on this platform expressing your situation. We are in this together faced with similar challenges and we will get through this together! Thank you!