As the US economy recovers gradually from the effects of the pandemic, small businesses are trying their best to be back on their feet to see better times ahead. Through this crisis, small businesses have realized the real meaning of uncertainty, as things can change overnight. Moreover, the waves of changes that swept the world have taught business owners valuable lessons about survival. Although the pandemic has hit businesses hard, it also trained small business owners to gain knowledge about survival in the most challenging times. Consequently, it helped many entrepreneurs to enhance their competency while learning lessons that can prepare them better to endure another crisis.
Here are some lessons learned:
Build an emergency fund:
No one knows better than small business owners the importance of emergency funds. Sadly, most business owners seem to ignore it as the pandemic has shown. When the pandemic struck, most businesses, almost 75% had funds that could help them survive barely for a month or two. Therefore, to avoid a similar catastrophe in the future, figure out the size of the emergency fund your business would need, should a similar crisis arise in the future. Create a savings goal keeping in mind that you should have enough funds to run the show for 3-6 months. Scrutinize your expenses to cut down wasteful expenditures and reallocate funds to help some cash build up.
Avail of government assistance:
The government’s extensive support by way of the CARES act helped many small businesses weather the storm initially and maintain their payroll. Despite the uncertainty about the Payroll Protection Program (PP), it could save 50 million jobs. The program provided up to eight weeks of payroll expenses and even allowed the business to recall employees they retrenched earlier.
Be mindful of your personal finances:
Your personal finances can have a considerable impact on your business finances. Your debts, the pattern of debt payment, your credit history, and types of credit will impact your credit health that has a bearing on your business. Your personal credit score impacts your borrowing ability for your business. Whether you can qualify for a business loan depends on your creditworthiness. Maintaining a good credit score consistently will give you better access to finances, especially during a crisis.
Embrace digitization:
The pandemic has shown the importance of digitizing businesses to maintain business continuity even during the worst crisis. Digitize your business processes as much as possible so that you can run your business when the conditions are extremely adverse.