"The Silver Linings" Of The COVID-19 Era

We all know that COVID has (and continues to) ravage much of the small business landscape and there are countless, heartbreaking stories we’re witnessing daily. 

As Head of Alignable’s Corporate Communications & News Department, one of my jobs is to amplify the voice of small business, so that media outlets report what’s really happening based on our polls, and politicians use our real-time insights to act on your behalf. 

After months of sharing devastating insights illustrated by much of our data and inspiring coverage that paints a dire picture for many small businesses, I'm delighted to see that our national efforts have apparently helped to pave the way for some positive action. 

Congress has finally overcome countless political hurdles to help more businesses get through the rest of the COVID Era by passing the $900 billion stimulus plan. 

It came too late for many small businesses and that's a true tragedy. But at least a new stimulus plan has finally been passed and some small business owners, including minorities and women, will get relief. As usual, though, we will monitor exactly who gets what and when via our polls and we won't be shy about pointing out any further injustices.

A Caring & Tireless Crusade 

As a former small business owner myself, I’m a dedicated crusader for the cause, as I'm sure you gathered from my tone so far in this article.  

And my Alignable comrades echo my sentiments and fight hard for small business owners behind the scenes.  We all feel and acknowledge your pain and want life to get better for you, as soon as possible.

And I, for one, do not believe our U.S. government, under any administration, has been able to accomplish enough to drive widespread small business success. 

Some administrations have helped more than others, but much more needs to be done over the next decade to nurture one of our country's strongest resources -- small business owners. 

With that said, I’m leaving the news world of 2020 behind for a few minutes, so that I can indulge in one of my other passions -- emphasizing hope and positivity against all odds. 

An Attitude Of Gratitude 

I'm a big believer in having and sharing an "attitude of gratitude." And with that attitude, we can shift our perspectives to be much more upbeat, ultimately lifting ourselves to new heights.

And I’m elevating our collective outlook significantly by focusing today’s article on Silver Linings.  

These are wonderful lessons and epiphanies we’ve had during the past nine, often-depressing months, which propel us forward to desperately needed better times ahead.

In this spirit of optimism and positivity, I had to channel the energy, enthusiasm, and elation of a bygone era to help yank myself (and likely a few of you) out of the doldrums, and kickoff the rest of this article in style.

Ignite Instant Happiness By Conjuring The Silver Platters

Ruminating on the concept of “The Silver Linings,” I was immediately transported back to the ‘70s, recalling the rock group that The Brady Bunch formed, “The Silver Platters.” 

Remember, those fun-loving Brady kids entered a contest to win enough money to buy a silver platter to give their parents, Carol and Mike, for their anniversary?

They had snazzy outfits, sang pretty well except for Peter with his crackly, pubescent voice, and performed live on a fictional TV show, trying in vain to hide everything from their parents to surprise them. (God, I love wholesome ‘70s TV).

If you’re anywhere in the 45+ age range, chances are good you remember this popular show – at least in reruns – and I bet you might even recall "The Silver Platters."

In case you need to refresh your memory (or you have no idea what I’m talking about), here’s a YouTube clip that’s sure to make you smile and get you in the right mood. (Please take a couple minutes to watch those kids strut their stuff. You might even start humming their song).

"Far out," right?

Well, now that we’re all in a nostalgic mood inspired by bubble-gum music and that Brady kid magic, let’s look at several of the “out of sight” silver linings you reported from 2020.

The Real Silver Linings, Courtesy Of Our Members

David Bowman from Young and Bowman – “My silver lining is how busy we’ve been. If you would have asked me in March if I thought I would still be in business, I don't know what I would have said. Now on January 1st, we will celebrate our 75th year in the plumbing business!” 

(WOW, how cool is that? Happy Anniversary!).

Jon Powell, Master GRI, ABR from Knoxville Real Estate Professionals Inc. – “We have been extremely busy this year.  With a 245% increase over last year, we have been inundated with people moving into the East Tennessee area from other states, due to the restrictions and other issues.”

Toby Bloom – “I got hired!”

Sharon Brown from Live Total Wellness with Sharon – “My silver lining was realizing that my company was solid during shaky times! I'd been told that we're recession-proof, but this year actually proved it to me, and I'm thankful for the lessons learned about being resilient and essential.” 

(Achieving recession-proof status -- especially during a pandemic -- is exceptional). 

Kristian True and KOTA Energy Group – “This was the best year for our solar office here in the Bay area. Last year, we averaged 20-30 accounts per month. From February to April, we had low sales due to COVID and were worried it would continue through the year. However, in May, we did 60 accounts, in June we did 80, in July we did 100, and have been doing 80-100 each month since. The big reason why we had so much success is because of the stay at home order. Homeowners were driving their electric bills up and felt the pain more. They also wanted to provide some protection and control over their power and the electric bill. Hoping to continue our success in 2021.”

#MyMoneyStaysLocal & So Should Yours

Laura Temple from Laura Temple, Assoc. Broker & Realtor at Unity Home Group – “Less time on the road and a forced focus on updating technologies have led to a great increase in clientele. Yes, I believe there are changes that I will retain once restrictions are lifted. I also believe that every savvy business owner is going to take away something of value to help their business going forward. For some of us, 2020 brought The Great Pause. For others, their work and lives have been devastated. We all have to remain mindful of those smaller businesses which have been hurt by shutdowns. And we need to challenge ourselves to Buy Local whenever possible.” 

William A Prasad from Prasad Counseling – “My psychotherapy practice has increased about 30%. Up next, in the coming months, will be trainings looking at how to drop that quarantine 15! I’ve been able to be of service. This is my silver lining!” 

Michael Shoup from Shoup Woodworks – “I make and sell a board game called Wahoo. I've had more orders this year than I've ever had. I assume that's because people have been staying home.”

Mark Whittington, II from LiveWire Health & Performance, LLC – “Simply put, it MADE me grow my business. The uncertainty made me expand and create new avenues to reach people that I had not done prior to the shutdowns.”

Yvonne Guyton Johnson from Highland Realty – “I used the time off to acquire my mortgage and insurance licenses & I'm working on providing a wider spectrum of financial services to clients.”

David Abadie from North Dallas Martial Arts – “When COVID was starting to come to the U.S., I felt in advance that something was changing. We started planning for online training and  developed it for our students. When things stopped, we were prepared. We tripled our online training and kept many customers from leaving.”

Jack Zurawik from Zurawik Law Firm – “We had flirted with remote work in the past, but we were forced to implement it this year.  I personally love it, as long as you have boots on the ground to go to court. I anticipate the near future will have lawyers doing jury trial by Zoom or some other platform. We have been busy this year, but the revenue numbers are lower.”

Rebecca Squire from Harpeggios – “Because we were forced to record, rather than perform live, we were able to share our holiday harp music with a much wider audience. Maybe we’ll do it on purpose next year!”

Joseph Dreiling from EaglesNest Wood and Pottery, Ltd. – “One of the businesses that we supply with custom urns could not get inexpensive urns from India due to COVID.  They contacted us to see if we could also produce a plainer, more mass-produced urn. We were able to meet their needs, so now we have a much larger regular customer.”

COVID "Togetherness" Helped A Local Paper Thrive

Paul Jervay from CAROLINA CALL – “Many in the community embraced the fact that in the COVID era, we are all in this together. So, donations in kind, as well as an increase in subscriptions has been a real help. The year has not been a tough as we anticipated, I pray and hope we can all maintain the mentality of being good neighbors in every sense of the word, as we embark on 2021.”

(As a "cub reporter" for my community paper 30 years ago, this silver lining was a great surprise). 

Jana Crosby from Crosby's Corn, Inc. – “Our silver lining has been the support we’ve received from businesses, offices, organizations and families who have employees or loved ones at home, preventing day-to-day, in-person interaction. To overcome this, people are sending everyone working from home specially designed gift boxes with a personal touch. Crosby's Corn had to think outside the box to figure out a way to grow and maintain day-to-day operations.” 

Denise Montalvo from Denise Montalvo - Realtor, Coldwell Banker – “I’m exercising more, drawing for fun and writing a book about life in the trenches as a Realtor. I got married on 11/30, so this year has silver linings.”

Those were amazing silver linings and there are several others where those came from in this lovely post. However, I wanted to add one of my own. 

The Media Is Standing Up For More Small Businesses 

I’m approaching my 29th anniversary in the PR/Content/Social Media profession. Over the years, I’ve represented companies large and small, but this year, I’ve noticed that more media outlets are paying attention to small businesses’ challenges than ever. 

That’s a tremendous step forward for journalism (which has suffered a lot in the past two decades).  And it’s an even more impressive development for those of us dedicated to driving recognition for small businesses, which often don’t receive a fraction of the attention they deserve.

While that welcome development is my COVID "Silver Lining," I also know  we’ll need to continue to shine the light brightly on small businesses as the recovery continues over the next few years.

To that end, if anyone reading this post would like to be considered as a subject for a future media interview about life as a small business owner, please let me know in the comments below or email me directly at chuck@alignable.com.

Not only do we want to amplify small business voices, needs and desires in general, we want to publicize as many Alignable members’ businesses, as possible, as well – in good times and bad.

"Keep On Movin', Keep On Groovin', Keep On Doin' It Right"

Looking ahead to the rest of this year and 2021, as the Brady kids sang, “We’re gonna keep on movin’. We’re gonna keep on groovin.’ And we’re gonna keep on doin’ it right.” 

In fact, those timeless words might double as a rallying cry for small businesses, as well, as we all embark upon next year's challenges.

Tapping yet another Silver Platters song, I’m wishing you all a “Sunshine Day” today, and in fact, a “Sunshine Year” for 2021. 

Thanks for reading and indulging me in my look back at simpler, more care-free days. It was a nice escape for me, and I hope you enjoyed it, too.