Small Business: Challenges and Opportunities

Yesterday's events at the Capital in Washington D.C have left me feeling rattled, unsettled, and frankly pissed.  Was it surprising?  No. 

​We are in a time of challenge and opportunity.  The challenges faced are not just COVID-19, but the systemic racism, health, economic, environmental, and political upheaval we are all witnessing take place, most recently inside the Capital.  

The opportunities? Well, I think Stacey Abrams and Georgia have shown us that opportunities exist by taking back the Senate in a primarily red state by predominately black democratic voters.  

What does this have to do with small businesses?  Everything.  

Small business does not exist in a bubble.  You are our community.  When our community suffers, our businesses suffer.  This is a delicate time to exist as a small business, and it is important to listen to the voices of those who are often overlooked for large corporations such as Amazon or Starbucks.

Take an hour to learn more about the business owners who are working to survive during this pandemic, and the storied history we are currently a part of.  And if you are able to - support them, talk about them on your social channels, buy from them, and give back to the small businesses that make your community unique.  

Register

There is no doubt that small businesses are greatly impacted by COVID-19 pandemic. While the challenges are great, the pandemic has also created opportunities — transforming to digital services and events, engaging a broader customer base, website updates, online sales, and more.
As communication leaders, we play a critical role in helping our communities navigate this time — from staying connected, to communicating during crises, to serving those in need.

With this in mind, we invited small business owners across different industries to join our panel discussion to share what challenges they’ve faced and how they’ve solved them. We’ll further discuss what opportunities these small businesses have seen or they can seize. In this session, Comm Lead consultancy will also prepare some tips and suggestions for you as takeaways to put into practice.

Our panelists:

• Efrem Fesaha from Boon Boona Coffee
• Linda Fang from Banyan Legal Counsel
• Jake Prendez from Nepantla Cultural Arts Gallery
• Jennifer Wong from JLW Health Consulting

This event will be moderated by Comm Lead Consultancy Creative Director Susan MacLaren.

Susan is the Creative Director at Communication Leadership Consulting, working with clients on content strategy, remote collaboration tools, and digital communication. She oversees the creative direction of the consultancy, organizes and provides support for the volunteer program, and helps facilitate team workflow. She owns Susan with Camera, a creative consulting business that provides content strategy, guidance, and communication support to small businesses and nonprofits, with a particular goal of working to empower women in business startup and success. She is a graduate student in the Communication Leadership Program.