MONROE — Kristi Smith, a business consultant for the Southwest Wisconsin Small Business Development Center, was a little hoarse last week when reached by phone.
“Sorry, I’ve been talking for three days straight. My voice is going,” she said.
That morning, March 25, in an effort to slow the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. Tony Evers ordered Wisconsinites to begin staying at home as much as possible and all “non-essential” businesses to close. The “Safer At Home” order is in effect until at least April 24.
Local small businesses, forced to scale back or close, are scrambling. They’re looking for help.
“It’s good to feel useful at this time,” Smith said.
Under normal circumstances, the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) offers no-cost, confidential consulting to help boost small-business startups and growth. It’s hosted in Wisconsin by the University of Wisconsin System and Institute for Business & Entrepreneurship.
In recent weeks, however, Smith is the SBDC contact for local small business owners seeking help navigating federal disaster loan applications and other assistance during the coronavirus pandemic.
“In a normal week, the number of businesses reaching out to me in the six counties I serve in southwest Wisconsin is like one or two,” Smith said. In the past week, “I’ve had 23.”
She’s so busy answering calls she’s moved her part-time position with the SBDC to full-time during the crisis. She voluntarily closed her downtown Monroe business, Rainbow Confections, on March 21.
Melissa Even, executive director of the Monroe Chamber of Commerce, is also busy helping local businesses find resources during the pandemic. On March 26, she was working on developing a webinar platform for members to use for virtual group meetings.
News on the pandemic and details of the $2 trillion federal stimulus package, signed into law March 27, is constantly updating.
“Everything just keeps moving,” Even said. With each update on the stimulus package, “we’re trying to digest what that means.”
The Chamber has a “COVID-19 Chamber Member Resources” page on its website with links to business, health and information resources.
For customers, the Chamber is directing locals to shoplocal.fm, a website hosted by Big Radio and created by Empire Media that lists businesses and what they’re offering during the Safer At Home order.
The Chamber has also adopted the slogan, “We all are essential.”
“This is a supportive message for all businesses and all Chamber members,” including those deemed non-essential under the guidelines of the governor’s Safer At Home order, Even said. “We as a Chamber feel that all of our members are essential.”
Whether a business is “essential” under the state’s definition is a question Smith hears from business owners. Some try to push the definition in their own favor.
“I’m hearing a lot of people trying to find a way that they are essential,” she said.
Business owners are rightfully concerned about finances, she said, but health and safety are also at stake.
“I would encourage people to stop and think about the spirit of the governor’s declaration and why it’s being enacted,” Smith said.
One of the biggest worries she’s hearing from small business owners is over their employees. A typical business owner seeking her advice has five to 15 employees, is forced to shut down and wants to know, “I don’t have money to keep paying people indefinitely, so what do I do?”
“We’re really stressed about our employees,” she said. “Those of us who’ve worked really hard to get good employees ... We’re worried, genuinely, about them and about the impact on the whole community.”
Another issue of concern she hears is how to personally stay afloat. The majority of small business owners are not eligible for unemployment.
“There’s no unemployment, no safety net for them. And that’s something I don’t think a lot of people know,” she said.
Even while “things are changing minute by minute,” Smith said, “know that there are a lot of people at the local, state and federal level that are working really hard to get us through this.”
The $2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act signed into law last week offers $377 billion in federally guaranteed loans to small businesses and establishes a $500 billion government lending program for distressed companies. It also increases unemployment benefits for laid-off or underemployed workers and provides a $1,200 payment for adults earning up to $75,000 per year or married couples earning up to $150,000. Families falling under these thresholds also receive $500 per child.
Last week, Gov. Evers’ administration released guidance for business owners running into problems with business interruption insurance claims. More information is available at oci.wi.gov or by calling the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance at 800-236-8517.
“Every insurance policy is different, which is why our guidance includes several different steps,” Insurance Commissioner Mark Afable said in a statement. “This is an extremely difficult time for so many small business owners, restaurants, childcare centers and others that have been hurt by this pandemic. Many are already making heartbreaking decisions about whether to lay off staff or close their doors for good.”
As part of its coronavirus response, U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development is extending deadlines and deferring payments until the end of July for certain grants and lending programs for rural residents and businesses. Details are at rd.usda.gov/coronavirus.
At the state level, the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation has a similar landing page for COVID-19-related assistance at wedc.org/programs-and-resources/covid-19-response.
Small communities like Monroe are unique in that “every business counts,” Even said.
“In general, I think we will rise to this. ... We want the community to stay engaged to our businesses, and we want our businesses to stay engaged to our community.”
