Leading a business during the COVID-19 crisis is like captaining a ship in a storm — you face threats from all sides, you never know when or how the weather will change, and it can seem as though you have to go through it all on your own.
The good news is that, as time has gone on, more and more resources have become available to help you forge a path forward for your business. Even though you may feel isolated, no business is going through all of this alone. In order to make it out on the other side, companies need to be prepared to take all the help they can get.
Without a new stimulus anywhere in sight, businesses can no longer rely on the possibility of government — they have to find a new set of resources to work with. Here are some of the best:
1. Six Feet Apart
Most of the resources on this list are niche, business-focused info hubs, but Six Feet Apart is much more than that. Think of the site as a resource of resources, a compendium of information so vast and broad that it can help just about anyone adapt to a post-COVID-19 world.
As the line between our work and home life has blurred, Six Feet Apart provides tips and best practices to help people successfully adapt to a COVID-19 lifestyle. It features articles on everything from working from home to homeschooling, from food to style, and everything in between. The site is a useful jumping-off point for business leaders looking to adapt both their business and their family to our pandemic world.
2. Lawyers For Good Government
COVID-19 has forced business leaders to ask questions about liability, responsibility, and legality they likely never thought they’d have to. For this reason, Lawyers For Good Government started the Small Business Legal Clinic Project, a pro-bono program connecting companies with lawyers who can answer any questions they may have related to COVID-19 challenges.
Currently active in 30 cities nationwide, the program allows businesses with 25 or fewer employees access to a free, 45-minute consultation with a lawyer. This experience can be invaluable for companies looking to reopen but unsure how exactly they can do so in conjunction with the law — helping them do their part in operating responsibly.
3. Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management
One of the country’s top ranked business schools, the Kellogg School of Management has compiled a series of free webinars tailored towards helping business leaders navigate this difficult time. Featuring some of the country’s most qualified business minds, these talks can be a great way to see new valuable perspectives.
With topics ranging from “Pharma and the Pandemic — Lessons For The Future” to “The Emotional Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Navigating Current and Future Mental Health Challenges,” selecting just a couple of these webinars can seriously expand your knowledge base in just a few hours — a difficult thing for any business leader to pass up.
4. National Venture Capital Association
Startups were hit particularly hard by the lockdowns and uncertainty that followed; companies that were already running on fumes suddenly had even less capital to draw upon than before. The National Venture Capital Association’s collection of information for VCs and startups is designed to help those in the startup ecosystem help navigate the road ahead.
Primarily intended to assist startups in finding out what government aid options may be available to them, the NVCA also contains an active list of startups who are helping fight the COVID-19 crisis themselves — a good place to start if you’re looking for companies to model after moving forward.
5. U.S. Chamber of Commerce
For those looking into what government assistance may still be available post-CARES Act, search no further than the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Coronavirus Small Business Survival Guide. The guide itself is an exhaustive list of government agencies offering support and what businesses can do to connect with them.
In addition, the Chamber of Commerce also published this set of facts, figures, and graphics designed to help communicate a clear message surrounding what businesses can do to help themselves during the COVID-19 crisis. If another stimulus does get passed, this guide will be a good place for people to start understanding what that means for them.
6. Hello Alice
Hello Alice’s COVID-19 business resource center is similar to several of the other options on the list: a full-scale guide for understanding every aspect of how companies can work through COVID-19. Featuring advice on everything from reopening to cybersecurity, the Hello Alice resource center is a valuable place for businesses of all types to gather information from.
Moreover, Hello Alice is also offering business grants of up to $50,000 dollars to support long-term growth during the pandemic. Companies can apply directly from the resource center if they’d like to be considered.
No amount of training could have prepared a business leader for COVID-19, but that doesn’t mean there’s isn’t value in trying to learn. These resources can help you understand what your next steps should be and how they may affect your business for years to come.