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GET READY, GET SET, OPEN!!

Gary Seibert • May 12, 2020

ATTA-BOY/GIRL

As the CEO of your Small Business Resource Association, and, on behalf of my partners, we would like to say ATTA-BOY/GIRL to all of you, as together, we have weathered the bulk of this storm. It’s not over yet but we definitely see light at the end of the tunnel. We have not been in our offices since early March and most of you have spent the past 8 weeks closed and/or working out of your homes.

The Governor of Pa. is now looking at Early June, if all goes well, to relax the restrictions and start the journey back to “business as usual”, and we can make that happen. This means that many of us will have spent the better part of three months with little or no income, lack of personal contact with employees and customers as well as dealing with the unknown—will we be able to survive until this is all over?

Many of you have been very creative with finding new ways for your business to switch gears and generate new sources of income. Many of you have applied for and received financial help from multiple Government sources we have been posting daily on our website. Some of you have turned to online sales and Zoom meetings to keep your businesses alive. A few of you have been forced to rely on savings and borrowed dollars and just hunker in and wait to re-open.

A race car driver, swimmer and track runner all relate to the command “Get Ready—Get Set—Go” to start their race. They prepare long and hard, experience many disappointments, injuries and a few losses along the way, but they never give up. So, lets follow their game plan and Get Ready for that re-opening, Get Set with a plan of action and Open with a GO not a no.

We are survivors and together we can help one another cross the finish line and beat this crisis. It’s only a Crisis if we give up. The SBRA is your Association and along with all our members we are here to help you get back into business and OPEN as before. Here are a few ideas that possibly could help.

1. Get Ready

Get yourself in position to open up again. Notify all your staff, clients and vendors as to when you will be re-opening. Contact your banker now if you might need an additional, short term loan to replace inventory, conduct a marketing campaign or modify your place of business to make it safer and comply to any rules governing the re-opening. Possibly, a re-opening event or special might draw people in quicker than just waiting—Remember, every other business in Berks County will be trying to do the same. It will be a GIANT scramble to see who can get their customers back the quickest.

2. Get Set

You will need a plan as to how your business will work. Do you need safety barriers between clients and your check out staff? What will you and your staff be talking about to clients as they come face to face with you for the first time in months? Do you have safety and cleanliness procedures in place? Your staff will have to be trained and held accountable as clients will be looking to see how safe and clean and prepared you are. Are you stocked with hand sanitation products, face masks, tissues and of course “toilet paper”?

3. OPEN!

Be positive, focus on the future and do not dwell on the past. Turn this opportunity into a new start to the second half of 2020. Learn from the past to make the future much better. Keep your Sense of Humor, Laugh, Smile, be Enthusiastic and Courageous. Open to win.

PLEASE know that we are here to help you in any way we can. If you need something, and we do not have that resource readily available, we will go find it. Stay in touch and get ready to “MINGLE”.

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