How to Survive Covid-19 As A Small Business Owner?

Small businesses have unfortunately suffered the brunt of the coronavirus pandemic and its corresponding lockdown measures. We all know that lockdown forced many businesses and shops all over the world to close. Most of these businesses are those in retail and the food industry. So once travel was banned and we were forced into quarantine, they were knocked down hard.

Business closures even included throwing away spoilt food and drinks. Did you know that pub owners in the United Kingdom threw away over 70 million pints of spoilt beer (33 million in Walea alone as originally researched at https://www.oliverskitchen.co.uk/) because of the pandemic? When they were ordered to shut down in the first quarter of 2020, all the beer pints would have gone stale.

Each pub had an average number of 10 taps to dispense beer, and there are about 47,000 pubs in the UK as of 2020. That’s over 70 million pints! Some operators claimed back the out-of-date beer and donated it to farmers for fertilizer or animal feeds to avoid product waste.

But not all pubs saved their beer supply. Several stories and videos online showcase pub owners pouring over £3,000 worth of beer, ales, ciders, and bitters down the drain. It is such a shame that great British beer which could have been enjoyed in community pubs is now being thrown away.

Even in 2021, pubs are still mostly closed and people won’t get the chance to enjoy this beer for another few months at least. Locals and tourists carried these pubs but now they were forced into indefinite closure.

In some places, however, quarantine measures are slowly lifting. Pubs and restaurants can open safely. But owners need additional support from the government and even private sectors so they can survive the pandemic. New measures have been undertaken like virtual online cider tours and even beer deliveries, but these are not enough to maintain all the small businesses.

How can your online business survive COVID?

The world has seen enough businesses closing down. Here are a few simple tips to make sure that your online business will make it through.

1. Tap into external resources.

The biggest factor that is pushing businesses to close is the lack of financial support. Governments and institutions all over the world are helping cut costs. Now is the best time to figure out how you can receive some of these benefits and let these external resources lift your load. You can read more about tapping into institutions and loans in this helpful article.

2. Contextualize your business model.

It’s difficult to stay level-headed nowadays. So take care of your operations – starting with tweaking your business model. Have a flexible mindset so you can move forward while still under community quarantine.

Take a step back to evaluate how you have been running the business. You might discover exciting strategies that will improve your business model. Now’s the time to consider things like going digital and exploring new ways to best accommodate your clients.

3. Connect with your community.

Now is the time to reach out to people. Look for entrepreneurs on networking platforms who are on the same boat as you. Start a conversation, ask questions, and read up on how others are keeping their businesses afloat.

You would also benefit from engaging with customers. In a time like this, be open to the exchange of reaching out and listening to all sorts of people.

Just because the pandemic is still here doesn’t mean that it’s all downhill for your small business. Follow these simple tips so you can survive the pandemic and feel the joy of reopening once it’s all over!