Small Business Lifeline

For the last episode of Small Business Lifeline we are going to talk to two small business officials about what resources are out there for small business owners. Tips: Know that. Programs like EIDL are still lending money to busineses. Reach out to the SBA and local small business agencies for resources and referrals to legal and accounting services. Boost your chances of bringing in business by getting MWBE certified.

Tips: Make sure to invest in outdoor furniture that can withstand more wear and tear for long term outdoor use. Look to the apres ski businesses for tips on how to embrace heated flooring and heat lamps. Promote your great connectivity if you are trying to attract corporate clients for meetings. Experiment with new outdoor spaces like igloos, cabanas and other elaborate tents with details like chandeliers.

Tips: * Work with an insurance broker to get your workers the best coverage and pricing especially with a potential next wave of Covid. * With the boom in telehealth, make sure your insurer lets workers go to their regular doctors for care. * Ask about lower deductible and copay options. * Ask insurers to kick in for services your small business may no longer be able to afford.  

Tips: As we head into a possible second wave, realize that workers comp does not cover most employees who get Covid. So do everything you can to keep your business environment safe. Mitigate cyber security issues with little tricks like adjusting workers’ screens so that they automatically log out of their computers more quickly than usual. Just because other businesses are doing things through Covid, weigh the liability risks before diving in like expanding delivery service, cutting insurance or bringing your business outside.

Small businesses are all in the throes of redesigning their spaces to make them more post Covid friendly. But in these cash strapped times, they don’t have much cash to spend. This episode offers some affordable suggestions as to how small businesses can make their offices safe and comfortable for workers - as well as their offices at home. Tips: ·        Tap into the current network of unemployed design professionals for help in making your offices more Covid friendly. ·        Try basic moves like removing excess furniture and introducing more arrows to direct people in one direction. ·        If you’re in a really small space, rethink how you do business (a small restaurant could introduce a coffee take out window) ·        Seek out websites that offer affordable office chairs your workers can use at home since remote offices look like they’re here to stay.

For businesses that still can not bring in any money right now, this episode features interviews with experts in the travel industry on what they are doing to survive. Tips: ·        Apply for grants and expect that the applications tend to be shorter right now. ·        Remain engaged with your clients through newsletters, blogs and webcasts. ·        Encourage customers to keep their deposits with you with plans to travel in the future.

As the school year begins with kids participating in all types of remote schooling, this episode explores how small business owners can work best with their employees juggling all of these stresses. Tips: Make sure your working parents feel safe and aren’t fearful they’re going to lose their job. Communicate constantly with workers about what their schedules are like. Bring in extra help if you need it for strategic projects. Be flexible with workers.

This episode offers listeners specific tips on how they can use technology to reinvent their business through Covid or promote their existing products better. We talk to the head of a marketing firm who has helped small businesses use technology to reinvent themselves. We then talk to a business owner who has worked with companies like Google on specific ways small businesses can promote themselves online without spending alot of money.   Tips: * Use your website to switch from a B2B to a consumer focused business. * Think about selling more online through your website * Tap into all of the free training that is being offered right now to enhance your online presence for your business.

This episode offers specific tips on how to reinvent your business to make more money. I talk to a banker advising many small businesses as well as the owner of a running shop about what he has been doing. Tips: If a banker can’t help you with a loan, ask them to introduce you to someone who can. Try getting certified to take more government contracts. Change your product lines to meet your customers’ needs better. Think about reshaping your merchandise to what people really need versus “latest and greatest” purchases.

As small businesses continue to navigate managing and motivating teams at while workers remain at home, this episode offers some specific tips on doing this.   Tips: Cater your demands for workers to the specific challenges they are going through. As workers transition back to the office, be completely transparent about the counseling benefits they can access from the cost of copays to the fact that senior executives are taking advantage of these services. Judge workers on their pre-Covid performance and not purely on how they are performing now. Keep HR functions like performance reviews consistent and don’t introduce surprises.