Every small business in America right now is feeling the financial pain of the COVID-19 pandemic. None of us are immune.
Some can weather the impact for a short time — perhaps a few weeks — but the recovery process will take months. And the help being promised in the federal aid package will do little to cushion the blow.
A $1,200 per individual check, or a “loans-to-grants” program to cover wages for 10 weeks will provide some relief, but it falls far short of making sure a small business can still survive when their revenue stream has been slashed by 70%, 80% or maybe even 90%.
There are still bills to be paid for utilities, insurance, payroll taxes, etc.
In addition, there’s no guarantee of how long it will be before federal relief arrives … if at all.
The COVID-19 pandemic is not the first major blow to the survival of small businesses. For years, we’ve said that Walmart delivered the first blow to family-operated businesses and that Amazon was delivering the knockout punch. We may be watching COVID-19 finish the job those two started.
When this comes to pass, as it eventually will, Main Streets across rural America could undergo a major upheaval. No small business can survive a significant loss of revenue over a two- or three-month period and then, if current warnings hold true, experience another setback if the coronavirus returns in the fall.
That’s why now, more than ever, small businesses need you and they need each other. We are the business people who buy Girl Scout cookies, sponsor your summer baseball/softball team, support Project Graduation, join the high school booster club and purchase animals at the 4-H livestock auction.
We ask that you think about that in the weeks ahead. Your hometown businesses pull more than their weight when it comes to supporting our community and our way of life.
It’s easy to take us for granted . . . until we’re gone.
Rod Haxton, publisher
