Photo: Smith House Photography
Small businesses need our help more than ever right now. The coronavirus crisis is seriously impacting restaurants, fitness studios, salons, and brick-and-mortar shops across the country. To find out what we can do right now to support them, we tapped money expert and financial advisor Kristin O'Keeffe Merrick, a financial advisor at O'Keeffe Financial Partners, for our Ask an Expert Instagram Live series.
“Small businesses are the backbone of our country, and we need to support them the best we can,” the money expert and financial advisor reminded us during her Ask an Expert segment on our Instagram Live feed. Of course, we here at Create & Cultivate couldn’t agree more, so we’re sharing Merrick’s top tips for how to support small businesses during this challenging and unpredictable time.
Here are six things you can do right now—without leaving your couch—to support local small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic if you’re able to.
1. Order delivery, takeout, or even a gift card from your favorite local restaurants.
“Make sure you’re tipping when you go in for takeout. Servers aren’t serving people in restaurants right now so be sure to tip if you can to help support them.”
2. Shop your local brick-and-mortar small businesses online.
“Think ahead to some events you need to shop for (weddings, bridal showers, baby showers, Mother’s Day) and shop your local small businesses online.”
3. Stream fitness classes from your fave local studios online.
“If the instructors you love are giving free classes, consider sending them a tip ($20 via Venmo or Cash App), since they’re probably not getting paid for that service.”
4. Call up your local salons and buy gift cards for your next treatments.
“Think ahead to your next hair appointment, your next manicure or pedicure, etc., and consider buying a gift card now.”
5. Use your voice to help spread the word about local businesses that could use the extra love.
“Help your local community for free by posting about your favorite local businesses on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, etc.”
6. Pay your people.
“If you’re still getting a reg paycheck, pay your housekeeper, pay your dog walker, pay anyone who helps you with childcare.”
For more expert advice on how to navigate the COVID-19 crisis, tune in daily at 9 am, 12 pm, and 3 pm PST, for new installments of our Instagram Live series, Ask an Expert.
Follow Create & Cultivate on Instagram, check out our Ask an Expert highlight reel for the schedule, and hit the countdown to get a reminder so you don’t miss out. See you there!
Up next: 7 Things a Financial Expert Wants You to Do to Prepare for COVID-19
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