Shop Local, Stay Safe: How Small Business Owners are Committed to Stopping the Spread of COVID-19

As businesses around the country begin to open their doors again, they're working hard to keep everyone in their communities safe. Here at Skip we have been assisting hundreds of thousands of small businesses navigate the pandemic through loan tracking, loan application help and more. We followed up with some of our small business users about what they're doing to minimize risk as they reopen and we were impressed by what we learned. Read on to learn about the safety precautions five small business owners all over the US are taking as they open up again.

This post is the first in our Small Business Corner series on businesses reopening—keep an eye on our blog for more content on ways small businesses are adjusting to the new normal.

Small Businesses Are Transitioning To Online and Contactless

Many small businesses are shifting to virtual offerings or contactless pick up to keep everyone safe in these strange times. Coach Donte Samuel, a personal trainer and life coach, is offering Zoom sessions and keeping up with clients to work on goals through Facetime and other tools. “I tell them, I haven’t forgotten about you. I know they still have goals and I want to help them reach those goals,” he said.

Tory Brogan, who owns a fitness studio called Hartford Sweat in Hartford, Connecticut, said, “Our business model had previously been built around community and close knit relationships that must be re-imagined in a largely virtual environment. We have found several recent "wins" in applying these changes, and we must build it into a successful business model with very scant resources.” Brogan is offering small classes to accommodate physical distancing as well as Zoom classes for those who need to stay home.

David Hunter, whose company Select Services in South Carolina offers marketing and promotional materials for businesses including trade show displays and mailers, said that Select is offering a complete contactless experience for everyone’s safety. “Since we do not have direct contact with our clients, we are touchless. Clients place orders via email or our website, depending on the product. They are always welcome to call,” he said.

Small businesses are pivoting quickly to meet the needs of this rapidly changing moment. If you are staying home for your health or the health of others, we encourage you to patronize small businesses online!

Small Businesses Are Keeping Strict Social Distancing Protocols

Tracey Austin runs a hair supply shop and salon in North Carolina. To keep her customers and her staff safe, she is strictly limiting the number of customers allowed in her shop and even scheduling hair appointments outside of regular shop hours to minimize the number of people in the store. Between appointments and whenever customers leave the store, Tracey and her team do a full sanitation routine of all surfaces. Salon services are appointment only.

“With a big box store, you can’t control what everyone is doing or keep the numbers of people down enough. With us, you know we are being careful. They might mark the floor [to keep people 6 feet apart] but I will actually lock the door and have customers wait until others come out, because this is our livelihood. So we have to ensure utmost safety.”

Small Businesses Are Investing in PPE

Masks are required to enter many stores and other places of business around the country. In order to accommodate safety, some of Skip’s small business users are actually distributing PPE to customers, including masks, hand sanitizer and more! They are absolutely committed to making sure everyone is safe and still able to support businesses in their communities.

Tracey says that if customers forget their masks, she offers them a free one at the door and also has masks for sale in the store. Chris O’Dell, who runs a kitchen and tile store called Sessemo, says that he offers free masks to any customer that does not have one of their own, as well as hand sanitizer.

Small Businesses are so committed to protecting their communities that they are willing to offer free protective equipment to their customers. If you’d like to visit small businesses in person, of course, keep six feet apart from others and wear your mask.

Small Business Owners Need Our Help

Many of our users are doing everything they can to stay afloat, but reopening is challenging—with limitations on how many people they can have in their spaces at once and the expenses of sanitation, many are just barely surviving. “People are just not coming back the way I hoped, but we’re working on it,” said Tracey.

“Foot traffic is down—people are just not coming in,” said Chris.

However you can support small businesses near you, whether it’s online or in person, will help them survive the pandemic. You can learn more about Skip’s commitment to small businesses and how you can support small businesses. Look out for more Small Business Corner posts on what percentages of businesses are coming back and who's being hit hardest, creative ways businesses are bringing back their customers and more.