Earlier this year when the Pandemic started, it seemed like everything was in turmoil. Businesses shut their doors, people stayed in their homes, essential workers were out risking the unknown killer virus, people were hoarding toilet paper, store shelves were empty of disinfectants and cleaning products, the stock market was crashing, the government was scrambling to keep the entire country from going down the tubes. Hurricanes, fires, riots… oh my!
And yet, here we are. It’s not over until it’s over, but at least there is some stability and we can settle into the new normal. What does that look like? Well it looks like over 50% of restaurants will be closed, airlines will have much fewer options, hotels will be vacant, VRBO owners will be foreclosed on, the country will be $30T in debt and the sun will still rise in the east and set in the west. So what can we do? Be resourceful!
Here’s a quick story: When the pandemic first hit, many businesses were closing quickly and one of our main customers called to ask if we were open and of course we were. We were essential. Even so, some essential companies were closing up anyway and she asked how we could stay open. It was fairly simple: we found out how to make our own sanitizer…how to make our own masks…how to find air purifiers when no one else could… some of us worked from home on shifts…we discovered we had cameras built into our monitors, and speakers as well and Zoom became a daily thing. We figured it out. I never in my life thought I would be buying Everclear again! Or being at Costco business center at 7:00 am when they opened the doors scrounging for supplies.
I’m not saying it was easy. And, the PPP loan really came in handy for our business even though it didn’t work out well for everyone. As the whole world was crashing and people were freaking out we were spending our time figuring out what to do and getting it done. And that’s the lesson we have learned from the pandemic so far – when resources are dwindling it’s best to become resourceful.
