Small businesses are among the most at-risk populations likely to suffer catastrophic consequences from the global outbreak of the COVID-19 virus. We understand—we’re one of them. In an effort to be part of the solution, thousands of you opted to close your doors to customers even before the government told you to do it. But we also know that most small businesses (fewer than 500 employees) do not have the funds for unexpected expenses, much less for an unprecedented situation like this, where you have to shut down operations entirely for an indefinite period of time and therefore can’t generate the revenue you need for basic business functions, for paying employees, or for maintaining your own income.

Mitigating Risk

Like all of you, we’ve been wracking our brains and doing copious research, trying to figure out how we can help ourselves and other small businesses get through the COVID-19 pandemic. As concern over the COVID-19 outbreak began to spread, the CDC recommended specific actions for small business owners to take to mitigate risk, protect their employees, and support customers (uschamber.com).

  • Establish a remote work option – In other words, allow employees to use available technology to keep them in touch with you and maintain their productivity as they work remotely during this period of social distancing.
  • Reduce Meetings and Travel – Hold only necessary meetings, and do it virtually.
  • Communicate Transparently with Your Customers – Find a way to stay in touch with your customers and enlist their support and understanding. We’re all human, and we believe that when you reach out to your customers with transparency and clear communication, they will rise to the occasion with flexibility and compassion.

These tips are obviously vital for keeping your most important asset—your people—safe and healthy. But from the perspective of your company’s health, these steps also point to relying on technology as a way to help your business stay alive while your traditional business model isn’t viable.

Staying Alive

The world has been shifting toward eCommerce for years. Customers can order a pizza, reserve tickets for events, and get just about anything they want delivered to their door with a few taps on their phone screen.

We’re all faced with the very real possibility that we won’t be able to cater to our customers in our brick-and-mortar establishments anytime in the near future. So, as small businesses, we are going to have to find new ways to operate. A more robust online presence and remote service model may well be the best (or possibly only) means by which we small companies will be able to stay in business until restrictions are lifted and we can all resume life as we once knew it.

Let Us Help Your Business Survive COVID-19

We want to help. And we can. Let JDPeroro.com help you with web design, eCommerce websites, and search engine optimization, so your customers can find you, you can communicate with them, everybody can keep working, and we can all come out on the other side of this thing even stronger and more connected than we were before.