 We're living through a pandemic. It's insane. Small businesses are shutting down. They're already shut down. 75% of restaurants may not make it. It has put a full stop to everything that we know. We've all heard phrases like uncertain times, but that doesn't even scratch the surface. It's been bad. For a small business owner, COVID-19 changes everything. Our business has declined by 97%. You ask yourself, what do I do? What can I do? How long will this last? It just seemed like the rules changed. Can you hear me okay? And so I reached out to small business owners and experts looking for advice. What's the state of small businesses right now? Through these conversations, I learned that it's not just a time for grieving. It's a time for guidance. You are going to have to pull from a part of yourself that you haven't tapped into maybe ever. We're finding out how to stay afloat. Every bit of revenue that we can generate is critical. Go to the bank who knows you. You gotta apply. Humble yourself to ask for help. People can't help if they don't know you need it. We're finding out how to adapt and reinvent ourselves. Some restaurants that have never had to take out are now having to figure that out. If our product is person-to-person product, how can this product become an online product? And we're finding strength in the relationships that we've built. It's brought the whole team closer together. Everyone has made sure that we are going to continue existing. What I'm seeing is determination. Either we're going to get through this together or we're not going to get through it. Hope. Resilience. We're hustling. We're not sitting back just waiting for help. Overcoming obstacles. Navigating the unknown. That's just who we are as entrepreneurs. This is going to be a challenging time, but if there's one segment of the economy that can make this work, it is the small business community. We'll keep pushing. We'll keep learning. And by sharing our knowledge, we'll get through this together. Get resources, inspiration, and advice at openweestand.org.