We are back, one week on, for another update to quarantine life. With a 4 and 6 year old we are finding ingenious ways to entertain our impatient co-workers, whilst they frantically destroy our limited supplies - so nothing has changed there then!
For those of you that missed our last newsletter; like you we have closed our salon business due to COVID19 and like you because of this virus; our family is in quarantine.
We are fortunate to have multiple digital businesses to ride this storm but the future of our Salon business is still uncertain.
As an entrepreneur though, you know as well as I do, even under normal circumstances, business is uncertain anyway - so I am confident that we (you and I) can come out of this healthy and thriving.
At Weblocs we are constantly developing our business and working on new features to respond to trends and challenges.
However this blog post isn't about us, its about all of us. We have developed our businesses to work successfully without us being physically any where near it, or our clients - we have essentially been social distancing ourselves for years :)
So we thought we would take this opportunity to try our best to provide some clear concise information, and useful links in the following blog - to help prevent business owners like you and me worrying unnecessarily.
Ok, so last week our primary message to you was DON'T WORRY, and we stand by that; right now is not a time to lose your head with panic.
Yes, things are tough right now - but don't worry.
As business owners, we face problems daily, even hourly and our job is to find a positive solution to those problems.
If you face a problem with a negative mind, you will only find negative outcomes.
Every day brings further welcome announcements of support and advice from the government, financial institutions, and suppliers.
Our paths are all interwoven, and our continued success will have a considerable impact on those that we purchase, borrow and rely on the services of - 90% of them are willing to help.
In our last blog we gave tips on how to lower your outgoings and therefore reduce the impact of closure on your business (view it here)
We are pleased that the feedback we are getting from our members is extremely positive; successfully securing tax deferrals through TTP (Time To Pay), as well as members securing lease, mortgage and supplier payment holidays and deductions for their businesses.
In addition to last weeks message of "Don't worry" we wanted to add something this week that we also feel is very important - THINK LONG TERM.
From discussions with our members, and monitoring networking forums we have found a slightly concerning running theme with many businesses around the country.
Business owners are keen, if not sure, that they will be returning to work on the 16th of April (the date of the Governments first revue)
We would like to take this opportunity to state, with reasonable certainty that we (you and I) will not be opening our doors in April, May and most likely beyond June.
Small businesses that fail to prepare for a long term lock-down, will not open their doors at the eventual end of it.
HOW CAN WE PREPARE OUR SALONS FOR LONG TERM LOCK DOWN?
MARKETING
Somehow we need to create value in our service, without providing the service (at least the one we usually do)
We know many businesses out their still do not have a website, and although we are a little bias - as we build them - we would still always encourage every business to have a professionally made website - where potential new clients can find the vital information they need.
Now, that sounds like a lot to keep on top of, even if you are quarantined.
Don't worry, much of it can be duplicated - content for your Facebook group could be vlogs uploaded to YouTube and TikTok videos could be shared to your instagram.
FINANCES (RECAP FROM LAST BLOG)
All the marketing in the world will not however protect our businesses without financial protection.
• Lenders are likely to ask for personal guarantees. Think about what personal assets these could be and whether you can afford to take the risk of losing them should the business not survive.
For the most up to date and correct information visit:
SO WHATS THE NEXT MOVE?
APART FROM FOLLOWING THE ABOVE ADVICE, AND LINKS AND CONDUCTING YOUR OWN RESEARCH, WE SUGGEST YOU DO YOU TAKE SOME TIME TO RELAY EVERYTHING TO YOUR TEAM, AND KEEP THEM IN THE LOOP - AS TIME GOES ON THEY MAY START TO WONDER WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS FOR THEIR EMPLOYMENT - KEEP IN TOUCH WITH THEM JUST AS YOU WILL WITH YOUR CLIENTS.
OUR NEXT BLOG WILL INCLUDE FURLOUGH AND INSURANCE ADVICE, AND ANY UPDATES TO OUR CURRENT POSITION AND CHANGES TO THE INFORMATION ABOVE.
IF WE HAVE MADE ANY MISTAKES, IN THIS BLOG, OR IF YOU FOUND IT HELPFUL OR UNHELPFUL - PLEASE LET US KNOW.