Guidelines for Opening Up America Again

Published April 21, 2020

Updated: Friday, April 24th

Governor Wolf announced that Pennslyvania’s tentative date to lift the stay-at-home order is May 8th. We compiled information from the White House resources that business owners and others need to know about this plan and process. We all need to know and be aware that things will not go back to normal right away. President Trump and the White House have announced a three-phase plan, “Guidelines for Opening Up America Again,” that will be used for opening businesses. This guide, using the advice of public health experts, is to help keep Americans safe while opening non-essential businesses.

Please see our post here about Pennsylvania’s phases of opening that Gov. Wolf announced April 22nd.

The following guide, which we are pulling our information from, https://www.whitehouse.gov/openingamerica/ has phases for individuals and employers. For our use, we will just be using the information for employers and businesses. If you have questions on individual guidelines and questions, please reference the aforementioned website.

 

Guidelines – Opening Up America Again (Slides used in the National Press Conference)

The following criteria have to be met before the state/region can go into Phased Opening:

  • Symptoms: Both influenza-like illnesses (ILI) and COVID-like syndromic cases must both be on downward trajectories for a 14-day period.
  • Cases: There must be a downward trajectory of documented cases and “positive tests as a percent of total tests (flat or increasing volume of tests)” within a 14-day period. (https://www.whitehouse.gov/openingamerica/)
  • Hospitals: Treating all patients without crisis care and a fully supplied testing program in place for “at-risk healthcare workers, including emerging antibody testing.” (https://www.whitehouse.gov/openingamerica/)

Once the above criteria are met, the region or state can move into Phase One.

 

Phase One:

Employers must work with local, state and federal policies regarding sanitation, social distancing and protective equipment, temperature checks, testing, isolating, and contact tracing, use and disinfection of high-traffic and common areas, and business travel. 

Employers need to monitor symptomatic people and not allow them to return to work until they are cleared by a medical professional. Employers will also need to develop and implement a procedure for contact tracing if an employee tests positive for COVID-19.

Employers should be continuing to support teleworking when possible, return employees back to work in phases when possible, close common areas where employees tend to gather, reduce non-essential travel, while following CDC guidelines on isolation travel, and consider special accommodations for employees who are considered to be vulnerable individuals. Please see the appendix at the bottom for a definition of vulnerable populations.

Please see page 10 of the pdf document for specific types of employers.

Phase Two:

In order to move into Phase Two, the criteria needs to be met again for a second time (28 days).

Employers are encouraged to continue to offer teleworking as an option, keep common areas closed to limit gathering, non-essential travel can now resume, and employers should still consider accommodations for those in the vulnerable population.

Schools and organized youth activities and bars can now re-open with strict protocols. Please see page 14 of the pdf document for more on specific employers.

Phase Three:

States and regions can move into Phase Three when the criteria has been met for a third time (42 days) and has no evidence of a rebound.

In phase three, employers can resume unrestricted staffing of worksites. However, specific employers may still have guidelines to follow. Please see page 17 of the pdf document for specific employers.

Appendix:

Vulnerable individuals: “1. Elderly individuals. 2. Individuals with serious underlying health conditions, including high blood pressure, chronic lung disease, diabetes, obesity, asthma, and those whose immune system is compromised such as by chemotherapy for cancer and other conditions requiring such therapy.” (https://www.whitehouse.gov/openingamerica/).

You can check the number of cases by zip codes here: https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/bc92e33cfd5d417795f7a7a1a5cb3b1d/

File for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance here: https://www.uc.pa.gov/unemployment-benefits/file/Pages/Filing-for-PUA.aspx?fbclid=IwAR16bR7sOPcd5XlMXEgMIHBbEeiDxnn_egk9xr6s8uwuwYH0oKN-ERTQ–s

As we know from this pandemic, things change almost every minute. We will do our best to keep this updated with the latest information that we can find. We will also post updates to our Facebook page.

 

If you have any questions or we can help in any way, please let us know!

Working From Home Tips & Tricks

Published April 17, 2020

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us are now in a new routine of working remotely from home. This can’t always be easy, especially for those with kids at home with them too. We compiled some tips to make your remote work transition easier.

 

 

Set a time that you need to start work.

Think of this time as what time you would need to be at your office. Do you have a conference call at 9? Don’t plan on getting logged on just for 9. Plan out an earlier time that works for you. For example, plan to be at your seat, checking emails, or whatever you need to do, by 8:30 so that you can feel prepared and not rushed.

 

 

Have a designated office space.

This is especially important for those working at home with kids. Having a designated office space helps you, and anyone you’re quarantined with, know that when you’re in there (and if you have the luxury of shutting the door), that this is the time where you are working. Of course your office pets might not like this too much, but take your pets to work day could work for some of us. Unless you have a cat that likes to type on your keyboard.

 

 

Dress like you normally would.

Dressing like you normally would help you stay in a somewhat consistent routine that you were used to before the pandemic started. If you normally wear makeup and do your hair (we hope you at least brush your hair daily), then make time to do your makeup. Small steps like this can make you feel even more ready to take on the day. (But if you really want to skip makeup, we understand that!)

 

 

Get outside and move!

It’s important to keep up with activity since we’re confined to our houses. Randour Chiropractic makes a great point about the necessity of moving during this time, “Staying active is vital to life and longevity. The human body is meant to move. Without movement, your body becomes stagnant and toxic which creates an environment where it is then actually more painful to move and it becomes harder and harder to get out of the rut of sitting on the couch and eating bad food.” You can read more about the importance of movement on their blog here.

 

 

Relax after a long day.

Finally, we know that this is a stressful and unknown time that we’re all in, so make sure that you’re also taking time for yourself. After you log off for the day, make yourself a dinner you enjoy, pour yourself a glass of wine, cup of tea, or whatever you like best and allow yourself to unwind.

 

We know there is a lot of uncertainty with the COVID-19 pandemic, but, as always, if you have any questions or just want to chat, we’re here for you!

 

Grants Available for Small Businesses

Published April 4, 2020
Updated: April 2, 2020

Even though we are in unprecedented times, many businesses are stepping up to offer grants to support small businesses. Facebook, Google, and Verizon all have announced that they are giving out some sort of grant. We will make sure to keep this information up to date for all of those looking for resources.

 

Facebook

Facebook does not have a date up for when they will start taking applications, but they have a sign-up link to receive notifications as they continue with their process. Facebook is offering cash grants and ad credits for up to 30,000 small businesses in 30 different countries. Their program can help with operational costs, keeping your workforce and more. Read more about what Facebook has to offer: https://www.facebook.com/business/boost/grants

Google

Google is helping the World Health Organization (WHO) with ad credits to get their messages of how to prevent the spread of COVID-19. They are also working with Magid Glove & Safety to increase production of personal protective equipment (PPE) to provide to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) foundation. On top of all this, they are also offering ad credits for small and medium businesses (SMBs) to get their message in front of the correct audience. These ad credits will go to Ad accounts that have been active in the past year. Learn more about Google’s efforts to help during COVID-19: https://blog.google/inside-google/company-announcements/commitment-support-small-businesses-and-crisis-response-covid-19

Verizon

With a 2.5 million investment, Verizon is offering grants to small businesses who are facing financial difficulties due to COVID-19. These grants can help with paying rent or making payments on outstanding debt to vendors, among other things. The first round of applications are to be submitted by April 4th, and you can do so here: lisc.org/covid-19/verizon-small-business-recovery-fund/ 

As we know from this pandemic, things change almost every minute. We will do our best to keep this updated with the latest information that we can find. We will also post updates to our Facebook page.

Know of more resources or have questions? We would love to hear from you.

 

SBA Resources for Small Business Owners

Published
Brought to you by Harmon Kennedy Law, co-sponsored by True Fit Marketing

April 6, 2020 v.3

This guide is intended as a general overview and summary of a few of the resources available to small, for-profit businesses in the United States, and Pennsylvania for unemployment. While it focuses mainly on SBA-funded loans and grants under new laws, there are some resources at the end that are specific to the Pittsburgh area of Pennsylvania that you may also consider.

A few things to know before you dive in:

➢ This isn’t detailed. There are lots of nuts & bolts not covered here. It doesn’t explain everything you might need to know. These laws total more than 1,000 pages, and cannot be neatly summarized in a few page overview, but we’ve picked out the biggest.
➢ The information will change. Have you ever heard how your laptop is outdated the day after you buy it? Well, this guide will be outdated most certainly by tomorrow. It’s current (to the best of my knowledge) as of the date listed on the front, but there may still have been some changes over the last 48 hours or so that we haven’t been able to capture. We’re talking a constantly moving target here.
➢ This isn’t legal advice. “Legal advice” is tailored towards your specific situation, and everybody will have a different situation for purposes of selecting the best program for them.
➢ This isn’t for every type of business. We’re assuming you own a for-profit company with less than 500 employees, or that you are self-employed (a sole proprietor, independent contractor, freelancer, etc). Other types of businesses (nonprofits, agricultural businesses, cooperatives, etc) will fall under some different rules.
➢ Talk with your Financial Planner & CPA before taking out loans. This isn’t necessarily “free money” like we’ve been hearing. Make sure you have a solid financial plan for how you’ll run your business in these next few months, how you’ll deal with financial issues and potential repayment down the road (please don’t just assume that loan forgiveness is “in the bag”), and how to best use these funds and whatever income your business has coming in now to make sure you’re not just kicking the can down the road for a few months.

What’s your most pressing issue?

→ How am I going to pay employees for the foreseeable future? Go to Section A, Page 3, about the Paycheck Protection Program.
→ I need working capital to get through these next few months. Go to Sec. B, Page 6, about the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) and Emergency Economic Injury Grant (EEIG)
→ I’m worried about becoming delinquent on my pre-existing SBA loan. The Small Business Debt Relief Program may help you. We’ll cover this in another Summary, or email heather@harmonkennedy.com for a resource sheet.

Also, there are FAQ’s in the appendix, where we’ll be making updates as needed!

As we know from this pandemic, things change almost every minute. We will do our best to keep this updated with the latest information that we can find. We will also post updates to our Facebook page.

Download the e-book provided by Harmon Kennedy Law here:

SBA Resources – Harmon Kennedy Law – Version 3

 

Questions?

MARKETING THROUGH COVID-19

Published March 16, 2020
(Updated as of 3/19 @ 12:00 PM)

During this challenging and uncertain time, we are here for you. We completely understand how this pandemic changes business operations by the hour and has very complex effects on your business.

In order to support you and your business effectively, we have compiled the following list of COVID-19 resources and welcome a call with you in order to provide an individual business consultation to determine next steps for your current marketing plan. Since this may be a chaotic time, both personally and professionally, this offer for a consult is open for as long as our communities are affected and can be scheduled at your convenience.

If you need assistance with any communications with your clients or customers, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Whether it is changing ads, writing social posts together, or adjusting budgets on campaigns, we are here to help you.

 

To that end, please see these basic COVID-19 tips for social media:

  • + Monitor your social media carefully. Make sure you are using reputable sources to share information.
  • + Information is constantly being updated, so date your posts and information that you share to ensure that your posts will not look incorrect if something changes.
  • + Stay calm and focused during this time. Clients and customers may mirror what you’re giving them.
  • + If there is an event you need to cancel, consider hosting a webinar instead.
  • + Communicate any changes to your business hours, operations, or services.
  • + Review and adjust your social media strategy as needed. This could be something that needs to be reviewed daily even as things are constantly changing.
  • + Check-in periodically so that your customers and clients still see your posts and they keep you front of mind. Especially if you are open and changing the services you are providing.
  • + Be prepared for questions and concerns that your customers may ask. Consider drafting a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) that your customers or clients may be concerned about.
  • + Find local resources to follow for updates in your area, while also keeping tabs on national news as well.

Please check your local resources for up-to-date information and guidance, here are a few that may be useful for your business:

Business Resources:

Government & Health Resources:

CDC Website & Socials:

World Health Organization:

USA Government:

Local Resources:

Local State Senators & Representatives:
Pennsylvania’s 17th District:

Pennsylvania’s 14th District:

Pennsylvania’s 40th District:

County Resources & Commissioners:

We will continue to update this list as we find more resources.

As always, we are honored to be a part of your business family and sympathize in your anxiety and concern over the unknown effects this will have on your business, both short and long term. Please let us know if you have any questions or if there is anything we can do to help take the burden off you and your business.

Please stay safe and healthy and know that we are here to support you, now and in the future. 

Sincerely,

Arlea, Melissa, Ellyn & all of us at True Fit Marketing