Oh boy it’s crazy out there in this world of ours. People are posting all over social media – the good, the bad, the ugly, the true and not true as well as the ‘how the heck do I know if that’s true’ and more. I see a bunch of posts about helping others. So…How can you help?

Know any small business owners or do you have a favorite small business you frequent?

• Consider purchasing a gift certificate to a few of your favorites that you can gift to someone or use once we can all hang out together again
• Share your favorites on social media – make sure everyone knows why you love and support them
• If they are offering pickup or delivery of their products – place orders while they are open to help support them

Remember that many small businesses don’t have a huge bank account that will allow them to pay employees if they have to shut down temporarily. And some small businesses have already closed permanently amid this epidemic. We can’t afford to lose a bunch of small businesses in our communities. Follow the SBA on Facebook to get updates on what is being done to help small businesses, such as Economic Injury Disaster Loans.

EDITED TO ADD: In case anyone has not seen it on my Facebook page. Facebook has set aside money for grants to small businesses.

Supporting those that work in the Restaurant Industry

A good friend shared a link to USBG National Charity Foundation who helps those working in the beverage, hospitality and nonprofit arenas. They have grants you can apply for if you are impacted by COVID-19.

Supporting those in the Salon Industry

The salon industry is very near and dear to my heart. I loved owning my salon and miss it still today. The salon industry relies heavily on hands-on customer interaction. Closing for even a few days can have a HUGE negative financial impact on the owners and team members. Many of them may not recover from being closed for what ends up being weeks. Please consider signing the petition on Change.org to help the Beauty Industry survive an economic hardship.

Supporting those in the Event Industry

With the overwhelming number of events being cancelled, the impact on event venues and entertainers can spell castatrophe for so many in this industry. Change.org has a petition to get federal aid for the events industry and they need your help!

Are you a parent or know a parent who is home with the kids?

There have been a lot of great resources shared on Facebook that parents can use to help keep kids focused and learning while unable to be at school.

• Homeschool Hideout provided a list of 150+ educational shows on Netflix
• The Shirley Journey has a 30 Days of LEGO printable calendar
• Rocky Ridge Elementary shared a resource with 10 Free Learning Websites and will be sharing additional information and resources.
• Mrs. Rainbow Bright has a Freebie available for Learning at Home Tech Free and a lot of other resources on Teacher’s Pay Teachers
• Kids Activities has a long list of education companies offering free subscriptions during school closures
• Check out Travel and Leisures 12 Museums offering virtual tours
• Watch one of the 15 Broadway Plays and Musicals you can view from home
• Scholastic is offering FREE online courses with day-to-day projects

Here’s what isn’t cancelled while we deal with COVID-19? (personal / business)

• Taking time to strategize about your business
  • Make a list of what has / has not been working in your business
  • Look back over the past year – who has been your best client / customer?
  • What have been time wasters?
  • What have you really enjoyed doing that you’d like to do more of?
  • Can you change your business focus to do more of what you are passionate about?
• Working on your online business
  • Spend time editing photos
  • Update your website – your bio, your listings, your contact forms
• Create content
  • Prep posts for social media and plan ahead
  • Review past posts to see which ones had the most engagement
  • Update your Google My Business page
• Build relationships with your online followers
  • While reviewing past posts – do you see a trend of the same people responding and engaging? How can you engage them more or tap into their likes/dislikes to grow your business?
  • Make sure you are responding to comments
• Game night with family
  • Get those dusty games off the shelf and have a night of fun! Who doesn’t love a heated game of Monopoly or an exciting card game!
• Binge on movies and TV shows you’ve been missing
  • If you have a full DVR catch up on what you’ve missed so you can reconnect with the outside world when ‘social distancing’ is a thing of the past
• Head outside for a walk or hike as long as it’s safe to do so
• Organize / Spring clean
  • Has that closet, attic or garage space been a mess for way too long? Now might be a good time to finally do some overdue cleaning and purging. Put together a box of things you can donate!
• Phone a friend or family member – someone out there has been longing to hear your voice. Give them a call!
• Write handwritten notes and send them to long lost friends and family. There is nothing quite like a handwritten note to brighten someone’s day.
• Do a Facebook LIVE and read a book to kids, share a tip or trick, teach a baking or craft class
• Take that nap you’ve been wanting
• Learn, learn, learn.
  • Take an online class you’ve been putting off
  • Read a book(s)
  • Google how to use a function on your phone, tablet or computer that has you stumped
  • Learn a new formula in Excel or how to use other Microsoft products in a new way
  • Watch some yoga or dance videos to learn new moves
• And, by all means…be encouraging and positive whenever possible. There is so much negativity being share. Keep it upbeat!

Stop sharing bad information

If you are sharing posts without ensuring the information is accurate…stop and think before you share! Don’t be responsible for sharing incorrect information which can cause stress and unrest for some people. We all need to be accountable for our actions and live by the quote…

Before you speak ask yourself if what you are going to say is true, is kind, is necessary, is helpful. If the answer is no, maybe what you are about to say should be left unsaid.

Bernard Meltzer