Small Businesses Reopening Guide Post-pandemic

Small Businesses Reopening Guide Post-Covid19

The coronavirus pandemic has impacted communities all around the world, and we have seen a major shift on customer’s consumption patterns throughout the situation. As a result of this, along with the Stay at Home order that has been put in place across many states, small businesses have experienced crucial operational stress.

Government’s orders for restoring the economy vary depending on the area, but there are many places that are allowing businesses to reopen soon. It is no secret that things will be different once the lockdown orders are lifted, businesses are able to reopen, and citizens are able to leave their homes. This is a transition process that will happen periodically, while maintaining the public health and safety to avoid of a setback.

There will be certain guidelines that will be required to follow in order to ease the reopening of businesses. These guidelines include the following:

·      Safety and cleanliness must be number one priority and should be reinforced in all establishments among its employees.

·      Comply with social distancing rules, this includes limiting the number of people allowed in establishments at once.

·      Facilities and appliances should be disinfected frequently, while ensuring employees are appropriately trained on this process.

·      Provide hand sanitizer to customers if interaction employee-customer is required.

·      Screen employees to rule out any health conditions

·      If possible, arrange flex work strategies such as telecommuting, job sharing, split-shifts

·      Practice constant hand washing before and after serving a customer

·      Wear face coverings

·      Implement up to date ways of shopping such as store pickup, curbside service, delivery by mail, and delivery to customer’s homes

·      Dissuade customers into entering the business unless required

·      Handle payments through internet or over the phone if possible

·      Reduce employee-customer interaction as much as possible

·      Disinfect any areas that may have come in contact with the customer  

Following these guidelines will ensure the safety of your employees, your customers and your overall business’s economic well-being.

Strauss, S. (2020, April 29). Be smart and safe about reopening your small business in a post-coronavirus world. Retrieved from https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/usaandmain/2020/04/29/coronavirus-safe-smart-small-business-reopening/3042491001/

Montes, A. (2020, April 25). As El Paso enters new stage in COVID-19 battle, here is the latest on business openings, face coverings. Retrieved from https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/2020/04/25/coronavirus-el-paso-leaders-amend-covid-19-orders-what-you-need-know/3022002001/

Center for Hispanic Entrepreneurship Partners with the City of El Paso

The Center for Hispanic Entrepreneurship Partnered with the City of El Paso for Accelerate EP 

The Center for Hispanic Entrepreneurship served as a partner to the City of El Paso in its program, Accelerate El Paso. The CfHE supported the City by gathering data and composing the final report, as well as through the creation of an ecosystem that maps the resources available in the city of El Paso.

Background

Accelerate El Paso was an initiative derived from a $100,00 grant from Living Cities to establish a partnership between the City of El Paso and its local business partners with the purpose to develop the region’s small businesses.  The partners included the Small Business Development Center, Workforce Solutions Borderplex, El Paso Chamber, El Paso Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Hub of Human Innovation, El Paso County Economic Development Office, and the Center for Hispanic Entrepreneurship.

The program was divided in three different phases:

·      Phase I: Building Networks, Strategies and Momentum

·      Phase II: Training and Collaborative Network Launch

·      Phase III: Data Analysis

During the different phases, the partners cooperated in various ways to establish the cohort of businesses and provide training and guidance via one-on-one consulting to those who were part of the cohort.

El Paso Minority Business Landscape

Based on research conducted for the crafting of this paper, the following findings were key:

·      The El Paso County population is estimated at 840,758 with 51.5% female, and 48.5% male.

·      El Paso’s population is composed of 84% Hispanic, and minorities comprise 86.63% of the population.

·      According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 78% of businesses are minority owned, 39% women owned, and 8% veteran owned.

·      By the second quarter of 2019, El Paso had about 24,772 establishments and a total employee size of 304,401.

·      The major industries are Services, Retail Trade and Finance, Insurance and Real Estate.

Even though minorities excel at having an entrepreneurial ambition, they tend to face more hardships during the process of starting, managing and growing their business compared to those non-minority owned businesses, the reason being that they lag behind in key business factors. These factors include lack of capital when starting a business, lack of access to financial resources, lack of education, and lack of management skills, all of which downplay the business’ success.

In order to better serve those minority owned businesses, we first need to be aware that these businesses are the backbone of the economy, and as they grow, the U.S. economy grows, which is why helping them succeed is key. By identifying their biggest areas of opportunity, we understand what their needs are and can make better judgement as to what resources provide them with.

During the first phase of the Accelerate EP, a survey was conducted and shared with the business owners to gather data about their business demographics, their top priorities for their business, and the areas they felt they needed the most help with. It was found through the 170 responses that 76% of the business owners were minorities, while 24% were White. The majority of businesses in the region are considered micro-businesses, since their employee size ranges from 0-5 full time and part time employees. About 62% of the businesses claimed having 0-5 full time employees, and 89% claimed having 0-5 part-time employees. The greatest challenge they face is acquiring capital and/or obtaining funding, while their top training needs are Marketing, Accounting, and Job Training. Within the study, six business owners were interviewed, and they also noted that there is a major lack of awareness of local resources, which paved the path to the creation of the ecosystem as a tool to better identify these resources, as well as a need for networking and mentorship.

In the report a more detailed explanation of the research can be found, complemented with graphics and tables that support our research, as well as the ecosystem that locates the organizations that serve as resources in the region.

To download the full report: https://www.utep.edu/business/research/cfhe/research.html

Connect with us:
https://www.utep.edu/business/cfhe.html

Denisse Olivas 
Director of the Center for Hispanic Entrepreneurship 
dolivas@utep.edu 
(915) 747-7738 

Priscilla Gonzalez 
Undergraduate Assistant 
pgonzalezt@miners.utep.edu 
(915) 747-7738