If you are a small business owner, itโs likely that your life has been turned upside down by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of you have needed to change the way that you run your business entirely. Maybe youโre working from home and trying to rearrange your daily routine to ensure youโre just as productive as you were at the office. Maybe youโre learning the ropes of how to manage a small or very large team remotely. Maybe youโre figuring out how to conduct meetings in virtual spaces on the fly while trying to stay on schedule as much as you can, or youโre addressing tech issues or limitations.
But most of you have one thing in common: youโve had to radically change the way you interact with your customers by finding new ways to provide the best possible service you can, maintaining the meaningful relationships youโve built over the years, all while avoiding the most impactful way you can accomplish that: being face to face.
This is a challenging time filled with uncertainty and anxiety, but now, more than ever, in your isolated makeshift office where youโve tried to close yourself off from children, partners, and the rest of the outside world, itโs important to remember that you are not alone. Itโs important to remember that there are people out there who want to help you.
Ruby is dedicated to helping small businesses grow: itโs our mission statement, our purpose, and our passion. As a company that got its sea legs in the middle of a recession, we know what it takes to weather an economic storm while helping others do the same. While it does take grit and a pinch of unsinkable optimism, it also sometimes takes a little bit of outside help, and in this new and unpredictable economic landscape, there has never been a time when weโve wanted to ensure the growth and stability of our community more.
If you keep asking yourself โwhere do I go from here?โ this post is for you. Our team has dedicated some extra time to research ways that help ease the stress of small businesses affected by COVID-19, and honestly? We were overwhelmed by the results. Tons of tech companies are now offering extended free trials for their online services and software.
New business loan programs are being born.
Non-profits are stepping up their game.
Webinars are being recorded.
Articles are being written, and lists are being compiled by publications of all-sorts, each dedicated to strategies to help preserve, and even improve, the health and wealth of small businesses across the
country.
What follows here is a spreadsheet containing all of our findings. Youโll find a list with opportunities that we believe will help small business owners save time, money, and energy for at least the next three months. We also intend for this to be a living document and add to it as the year unfolds,
so stay posted.
The resources are out there, and we are committed to helping you find them. Weโre in the business of keeping you in business.
