Small Business Reopening Strategy For Life After Coronavirus

Small Business Reopening Strategy For Life After CoronavirusSmall Business Reopening Strategy For Life After Coronavirus

The state of New York has recorded three consecutive days flattening the curve! So, what does this mean for small business owners? It means there is light at the end of the tunnel and the last four weeks of mandatory closures, stay at home orders and community lockdowns may soon be a thing of the past! As we try to get our life back to some semblance of normalcy in the coming weeks, ARF Financial will be right there with you offering all the important things you need to know to get back to work! Let’s discuss a small business reopening strategy for life after coronavirus and what needs to be done now that the curve has been flattened.

Estimate Your Opening Date

Will you be ready if businesses are allowed to open on June 1st? What about July 1st? We are cautiously optimistic that businesses will be allowed to open soon as states talk about their re-opening strategies. However, we expect the transition back to normal to be slow with only a few patrons in stores and restaurant dining rooms. With that said, when could you realistically open? There are several phone calls that will help you make this decision. Your vendors and other suppliers are key to this decision and your re-opening date will depend on when they can have supplies available.

Your staff is another key component in your decision to choose a specific date. Are they still available for re-hire? Dominos was expected to hire 10,000 new employees after the shutdown and Instacart was expected to add another 300,000 new shoppers. Amazon hired 80,000 in March with a plan to hire 20,000 more in April. These new employees had to have come from somewhere, possibly your own small business staff. You may need to step up with extra incentives and competitive pay to get them back!

Gradual Ramp Up

We know consumers are eager to get back outdoors with the hashtag #LifeAfterCoronavirus trending three weeks in a row. However, your initial re-opening needs to be tempered and gradually ramped up as demand grows. We hope you took advantage of the relief programs available to you as a small business owner because the ramp up back to a normal business life may be a lot slower than we think.

Pick Up and Delivery Options

With this slow ramp up, pick-up and delivery options will still be the most viable options for restaurant owners. With on-going distancing efforts, customers will not immediately flock to your dining rooms. If you don’t have delivery options, start working on these partnership applications with Door Dash, Grubhub, Uber Eats and Postmates now to be ready for the country’s re-opening.

Drive-thru Service

There has never been a better time to begin work on a drive through. Shake Shack CEO, Danny Meyer, says one of their solutions for life after the pandemic will include drive thru windows for all franchises that can accommodate them. Now that construction workers will be allowed to be out and about again, you should schedule your project early to get ahead of a possible backlog of pre-pandemic projects.

Early planning will determine who makes the best of life after coronavirus. ARF Financial is still lending and we are here to help you get started with business solutions for the new normal after the pandemic.