COVID-19

We were Forced to Close our Business and the Reason will Surprise You

We were Forced to Close our Business and the Reason will Surprise You

…perhaps one of the most shocking outcomes of the Coronavirus Pandemic – and especially of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) – is that the very people we hired have now begged us to be laid off. Not because they did not like their jobs or because they did not want to work, but because it would cost them literally hundreds of dollars per week to be employed. It is the nail in the coffin of a Main Street business, and our last day open will be Saturday. Let’s talk about why the very program that is supposed to support small businesses is currently helping their demise and take a hard look at the economic realities we are setting ourselves up for.

These Tools will Help College Students Finish Their Semester Strong

These Tools will Help College Students Finish Their Semester Strong

With all of this uncertainty, many students will find themselves struggling. Indeed, even students who normally excel might find themselves having a hard time focusing. So what can you do? How can you persevere, push through this semester, and make the best of a situation that is far from ideal?

We expect to lose $45,000 doing the right thing – It is time for other businesses to step up to keep the public safe from Coronavirus

We expect to lose $45,000 doing the right thing – It is time for other businesses to step up to keep the public safe from Coronavirus

When all is said and done and the dust is settled, we expect to lose about $45k on our business this spring. Of course, right now it is impossible to know, and the numbers could be worse. To be clear, we are a family with young kids, and we do not have $45,000 to lose. Every day I am filled with worry of how we will make ends meet to keep our businesses alive; we follow updates and have already applied for an SBA loan. But do you know what I do not worry about? That our decisions will lead to the loss of life.

How Government Can Keep Small Businesses Alive during Covid-19 Shutdowns

How Government Can Keep Small Businesses Alive during Covid-19 Shutdowns

In a country where small businesses were already fighting to make a claim for their communities against the sheer power of Walmart and Amazon, well…let’s just say that Walmart and Amazon might be some of the only businesses thriving in these times. Meanwhile, the beauticians and barbers, gyms, tattoo parlors, and even dentist and PT offices are forced to close entirely. Other businesses, like restaurants, are struggling to achieve a new normal by completely revamping their services. It is new and uncharted territory, and none of us know how long it will last. As a couple who own a few small business, including a retail store, an event space, a bar, and a coffee shop, we would love to help others understand some of the big issues affecting small businesses right now and to offer some recommendations on how policy can help small businesses, like ours, survive.

Veteran Homeschooling Tips for Surviving School Shut-Downs

Veteran Homeschooling Tips for Surviving School Shut-Downs

You may not know this about our family, but we spent two years literally living in a log cabin in the middle of the wilderness and I homeschooled my oldest child through kindergarten and first grade (my youngest was an infant and toddler at the time). Doesn’t that feel like what we are all doing now? Suddenly we are all thrust in the role of the Swiss Family Robinson, stockpiling supplies with no school on the horizon.

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