Reopening your Small Business to the Public
Due to COVID-19 affecting the country, business owners look for creative ways to reach their market. While some have come to embrace online platforms, the majority of small business owners still rely on physical locations for their business and face a lot of hurdles when reopening their small business.
Check your State’s regulations for reopening
The economy is starting to reopen it’s doors but some states and cities have implemented restrictions for businesses to operate. These can include screening employees for illnesses, enforcing social distancing guidelines, and limiting the number of patrons inside the business premises. Take the necessary measures to protect yourself, your employees, and your clients and make sure to abide by CDC’s guidelines for cleaning and disinfecting the workplace.
Get your team ready
Business owners had to make tough choices this year when it came to their manpower. Some businesses had to take people off from their workforce and some had to struggle with paying for salaries while employees are in quarantine. Keep in mind that not everyone will be enthusiastic to come back to work. Their hesitance is understandable. Assure them of the safety protocol that will be implemented in your business and educate them on proper cleanliness and requirements; like frequent washing, disinfecting, and social distancing. Communicate with everyone and listen to their needs. If possible, provide the safety equipment like masks and gloves.
Prepare your actual location
Sanitize everything! Check every nook and cranny and wipe down all surfaces. Most, if not all, small business spaces had to be closed for a long period of time, so there’s a need to ventilate the air and inspect for any signs of damage or leakage. If you have security cameras, see if there has been any sign of someone breaking in. Double check your fuse box and see if the utilities are running properly. Cover all the bases before opening your doors to the public.
If your business has any inventory, do a quick roundup of all items and see if everything is there and accounted for. There will be a point of uncertainty as business owners try to gauze the demands of the market in the current situation.
Your machinery will need checking too. If you have a POS machine, inspect and run some test transactions before you use it. Call up your bank if their terminals can be used for operations again.
Make an announcement
This is one of the most important steps that you need to cover when you return in business. A simple action like posting on your social page that you will be resuming operations will be good enough to let customers know that you are back and ready to serve. Update your social media accounts, like Facebook and Google My Business, and let people see the days that you are open and at what hours of the day you will be available. Take note that operating hours may differ from what you normally would before the pandemic hit.
Embrace the new normal and get ready for any changes that will come as we tackle on the issue as the days go by.
Silicon Harbor Business Services is based in Mount Pleasant, SC. We provide solid, practical advice to small business owners and select individuals. We work with Quickbooks Online, Quickbooks Desktop and Quickbooks Enterprise.
For a complete list of our services, please click here. Reach out to our team of Business Consultants at Silicon Harbor Business Services in Mount Pleasant, SC if you have any questions about online bookkeeping or business consultancy. We’d love to hear from you!