How To Support Small Businesses Impacted By Covid19

With the coronavirus, and the urgency to avoid contact with others, unfortunately, many of our small businesses are feeling the economic impact first. As a small business myself, I am hoping to write this article in hopes of helping small businesses get through this and show others how they can give support to small businesses and the workers who rely on them for their livelihood.

GIFT CARDS

• For the consumer: Purchasing gift cards is a great way to support a business today. The business will benefit from it financially, and to them, it will feel no different than a customer coming in and purchasing something from them without needing to do anything extra. Visit your favorite stores and restaurants online, and see if they have the option to purchase a gift card. Then enjoy it when all this has passed! 
• For the business: If you currently depend on customers coming in or buying your products online, and you are limited in what you can do due to the coronavirus, then now might be a great option to start promoting gift cards. It will allow your customers to show you support today and benefit from it later on. 

PRE-ORDERS 

• For the consumer: Keep an eye out for companies offering pre-orders on new services or products. It's a great way to invest in a business, and best of all, you'll be the first to get it when it's officially ready! 
• For the business: If you're like most businesses out there, you are continually working on something new, and having to push off the launch because of this virus can be difficult. Instead of pushing it aside and waiting for this to pass, launch it as a pre-order! I've had great success in launching new products as pre-orders and making them available to those who were excited to purchase it, and waiting to get it.

PURCHASE DIGITAL PRODUCTS & SERVICES

• For the consumer: Look for companies that offer digital products or services. We live in an incredible time, where your next purchase might just be a download away. I've personally invested in online courses, homeschool curriculums, templates, and so many more products and services that were 100% digital. I was able to purchase these items, download them instantly, use them right away.
• For the Business: If you haven't already, maybe NOW is the perfect time to add a digital product or service to your business. I started as a service-based business that eventually moved into the digital product world, and I'm incredibly happy that I did. Not only makes it possible to work from anywhere in the world, but I can also sell an unlimited amount of digital products to my customers without any additional work. Regardless of what kind of business you have, you can add a digital product to your business and start producing passive income from it right away. 

WORK REMOTELY

• For the employee: If your job doesn't require you to be at your workplace physically, then see if you can work remotely. If you're like a lot of working parents out there, who would LOVE to have the option to work remotely, now is the perfect time to show the business you work for, how great this could be, not just for you, but also them. Imagine if we lived in a world where if people who could, had the option to work remotely.
• For the business: Allowing those who can, to work remotely. Of course, there are some jobs that require you to be there physically, but the majority of jobs today can be done remotely. I've always wondered why not more businesses make this possible for their employees, especially those who would benefit from it most, such as working parents. Hopefully, with the push to allow people to work from home, will show businesses how much more sense this makes and makes this an option for people long after this virus has run its course.

SHOP LOCAL

• For the consumer: Maybe your upcoming trip to somewhere beautiful was canceled, which means the business you would have supported there will no longer receive it. If we are bound to stay put, it's a great time to take a closer look at what your community has to offer and see how you can support those who are closest to you.
• For the business: If your business depends on tourism or traffic from foreign visitors, it's probably already feeling the burden from the travel ban. This might be the perfect time to re-connect to your community and those who are local to your area. 

The truth is that many small businesses and workers rely on them for their livelihood. These small businesses want nothing more than to continue running their business the way they used. The government is working on finding ways to offer relief to these small businesses. Still, I think I speak for many companies out there when I say that the personal support from consumers, customers, and clients means the world to them, especially in a time like this. 

If you own a small business, then I hope this article helps you get through this time and makes it possible to see new opportunities and hope in the community. 

There are 28 million small businesses in the U.S. and 70% of small businesses are owned and operated by a single person. If we all do our part and show a little support, we can make a difference to these small businesses — even a simple act like purchasing a gift card to use on a later date.

And if you can, lend a helping hand to those who need it most. 

You are welcome to share this article and help spread awareness of how others can show support to small businesses.