Tips for Running a Small Business Affected By COVID-19

April 3, 2020

One thing that has amazed me throughout this whole COVID-19 pandemic is how many people and businesses have stepped up. People are helping each other and connecting like I’ve never seen before, and I feel so inspired by humanity. If there is a silver lining to the COVID-19 crisis it is definitely that!

One brand that stepped up with an ingenious idea (with impressive  speed might I add!) is GoDaddy. GoDaddy quickly recognized that the impact on the economy from COVID-19 is most heavily going to be felt by small businesses who rely on daily customers. With the #OpenWeStand Microsite GoDaddy is helping entrepreneurs & small businesses by providing a platform to help them succeed during these trying times.

There are resources to read and learn and there are forums to directly connect with other small business owners to ask questions and support each other. While adjusting my small businesses over these past two weeks I’ve learned a lot from the #OpenWeStand Microsite. Read on for my biggest tips for running a small business affected by COVID-19.

#OpenWeStand microsite running a small business affected by COVID-19

tips for running a small business affected by COVID-19

Tips for Running a Small Business Affected By COVID-19

1. Research Available Supports

Check what is available to you at Federal, State/Provincial and local level. Different governments are, of course, doing different things but across North America we are seeing grants and financial packages being made available to small business owners whose sales and employment are effected during this time. I live in Vancouver, BC where both the Federal and Provincial governments have announced financial changes to help small businesses and small business owners with everything from mortgage deferral allowances to grants.

2. Build a Support Network

Running your small business right now is scary. We’re in unprecedented times and it can feel really isolating trying to work and succeed right now. Finding people to talk to who understand what you’re going through and have some insight can make such a difference not only to the success of your business but to your emotional wellbeing. Again, the Community Forums on the #OpenWeStand microsite are a great place to go and build an online support network.

3. Delve into Social Media & Online Presence

Sales and business may be down right now, but that doesn’t mean your business can’t be growing. We need to focus on the long term; this crisis won’t last forever! Now is a perfect time to lay the groundwork for growing your business. Whether that be creating a website if you don’t yet have one, learning more about SEO, or working on growing social media such as your company’s Pinterest or Instagram accounts, use this time to invest in long-term business growth.

4. Get Creative!!

This one is my personal favorite. Our businesses are changed, at least for now, and instead of closing up shop we have the opportunity to get creative and change what we offer. Some examples of businesses and what they could creatively do right now are:

A Yoga Studio:
– Start offering Facebook live classes! Ask existing members to maintain their memberships and join you for class on Facebook live.
– Publicize your live classes to non-members on a ‘by donation’ basis.
– Offer one-on-one yoga classes over Zoom or FaceTime for a class fee.

A Wedding Photographer:
– You may not be able to shoot weddings right now, but you can still put your photography skills to good use. Offer photography classes for a small fee – again you can use Zoom to have people tune-in.
– Think about creating a ‘class’ people can buy and download. Ideas include: “Tips from a Professional Wedding Photographer on How to Make Sure You Look Good in Your Wedding Photos”, “The 10 Questions to Ask to Make Sure you Hire the Best Wedding Photographer for You”, etc.

A Lawyer / Law Office (like me!):
– Focus on Building Your Name. Work on your website, reach out to journalists, build your network.
– See what research you can do from home. Get ‘ahead’ on files by doing research on ones that you were scheduled to work on in the coming months- this is work you can do from home so adjust your schedule to work on them now.

I hope you found these tips helpful. I’ve got more posts on career and being a business woman that you may also enjoy!

If you run a small business I’d love to check it out, so be sure to tell me about it in the comments below.

Thank you to #GoDaddy for partnering with me on this post. As always, all content and opinions are my own.

34 comments so far.

34 responses to “Tips for Running a Small Business Affected By COVID-19”

  1. Lizzie says:

    These are great tips for sunning a small business! I think it’s more important than ever to get creative during this time!

    Lizzie
    http://www.lizzieinlace.com

    • Lee says:

      Thank you so much Lizzie! Excatly – especially for what we do as bloggers, it’s all about creativity right now!

  2. maynardamanda says:

    These are such great tips! I run an online business and it’s definitely been a balance to connect in the right ways with customers

  3. Rebecca says:

    This is such a great post and what a great thing GoDaddy is doing!!! We are all having to adjust and these tips are so helpful.

    xx Rebecca // thecrystalpress.com/blog

  4. These are great suggestions for keeping your business going! What a great campaign by Go Daddy.

    https://www.kathrineeldridge.com

    • Lee says:

      Isn’t it awesome! I Just love how quickly they saw a need for this and jumped on providing resources to help people out.

  5. justlivejoy says:

    Such great tips!! Thanks for sharing. We are facing a challenging time and all the advice is so helpful.
    https://justlivejoy.com/10-binge-worthy-series-on-netflix/

  6. These are great tips! I’ve been trying to support other small businesses during this difficult time, we all have to support each other! It WILL get better!! Xx.

    • Lee says:

      Thank you so much! And exactly! Ive been trying to shop local and do what I can, we’re all in this together!

  7. Amy aed says:

    I love this post! I would love to incorporate some of this into my own quarantine life right now!

    I hope you’re staying safe during this quarantine!
    Amy x wandering-everywhere.com

  8. jenniferpickering22gmailcom says:

    This is amazing and so helpful!

    Jennifer
    Effortlessly Sophisticated

  9. makeupmuddle says:

    So many great tips, I can only imagine how helpful they’d be for those with small businesses. It’s such a scary time, but it’s great there’s still things we can do to keep things ticking over as ‘normal’ as possible xo

    Makeup Muddle

  10. Rach says:

    These are very helpful! Thanks for sharing it! Definitely trying to be more creative and doing more research to see what else is out there!

    http://www.rdsobsessions.com

  11. Brenda Cremer says:

    Yes, the ability to stay positive is utmost. I am trying to help my husband with his business and it might be extremely slow, but the background work can be done until the customers come back. Shop local and stay healthy!

    • Lee says:

      That’s great you’re able to help him with the behind the scenes work! Sounds like you have a great attitude! Hope you and your family stay well! <3

  12. Nancy says:

    Good tips! We could use that these days! Stay safe!

  13. This post is so helpful during this time. Great tips! xoxo, Sarah

  14. annaefox01 says:

    ALL of these tips are great girl. Thanks for sharing!

  15. Laura Leigh says:

    Such a great post Lee! So helpful!

    xo Laura Leigh
    http://louellareese.com

    • Lee says:

      Thanks Laura!! Hope you’re doing okay with Louella Reese. Such a crazy time, but these tips should help. And if you have any specific questions you should check out the forums on the microsite – you can ask your question and get answers from other small business owners!

  16. Nahid Akhter says:

    Great tips. Thank you so much for sharing and to keep your point in the post.

    Nahid

  17. Love these tips! Some of my favorite local fitness studios have been doing online classes and it’s been amazing 🙂 I get to workout from the comfort of my home while still supporting their business.

    -xo, Azanique | https://www.lotsofsass.com

    • Lee says:

      Thank you Azanique! And ah that’s awesome, I’m so glad they’ve adapted and are offering that. great for you and great for them!

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