There is so much information about COVID-19, so we’ve decided to distill this for you, offering you the most important and relevant information about navigating this from a business perspective. You’ll find resources here on planning financially, working remotely, helping your employees cope, and leading with excellence during a crisis.

We will continue to update the resources found here as there are new developments and programs available.

As always, I’m here to offer any guidance you need on concerns about your business and business continuity.

This too we shall overcome!

CEO | Mother | Keeper of Team Morale @ InTech Solutions, Inc.

Good News About the COVID-19 Virus from Peter Diamandis

https://www.diamandis.com/blog/good-news-covid-19?utm_campaign=Tech%20Blog&utm_content=122107645&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&hss_channel=fbp-508209262538427

MORE GOOD NEWS ON EFFORTS TO END COVID-19!  https://happycoronaending.com/

 

NEW WEBINAR POSTED: "The 4 Steps Move Your Business From Defense to Offense During Times Of Disruption"

This session is brought to you by Leia Shilobod, CEO of InTech Solutions and presented by Ryan Markel of Petra Coach. Ryan will bring his experience helping companies all over the US to grow exponentially and pivot to show you the 4 steps to move your business from defense to offense and kick it into high gear.

During This Webinar You Will Learn:

  • The 4 phases of pivoting a business
  • Discover what phase of Crisis you are in now, so you can develop a plan for Recovery
  • Learn the questions you should be asking to make the right decision for you specific business
  • Ideas to ensure you survive and thrive
  • Have confidence to get your team from defense to offense and in your ability to lead your team
  • Understand how to pivot your business with a predictable plan, instead of recklessly
  • Receive access to the Petra Coach VAULT with resources to use for your pivot planning
    A plan doesn’t get you anywhere – you must have a bias toward ACTION!

Attendees Receive An Exclusive Pivot Planning Toolkit which includes:

  • Adaptive Crisis Checklist
  • Short-Term SWOT Analysis
  • Meeting Rhythm Assessment
  • 30-60-90- Day Planning Tools for team alignment and execution

Watch the Recording here:

RESOURCES:

Access the slides by clicking here: DOWNLOAD

Access the Toolkit here: www.petracoach.com/the-vault

Register for the 3 Hour Petra Pivot Planning Workshop here: 
Wednesday, May 13, 2020 - 9AM - 1PM EST  https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0vceyhqDspH9K73vl5t31ulx10EGoS_9fP

 

WEBINAR POSTED: "Crisis Strategic Planning & Employee Sick Leave Implications of the CARES Act"

The Westmoreland Chamber has assembled Subject Matter Experts Leia Shilobod from InTech Solutions and Larry Kerr from Tremba, Kinney, Greiner, & Kerr in the areas of IT and CARES Act Employee Sick Leave to bring you the most clear and relevant information.

In this webinar, you will learn:

- How to keep your employees well and connected so they continue to work and produce for your business
- Crisis Planning for the next 30-90 days to position your business to weather the storm
- The NEW leave regulations outlined in the CARES Act you MUST know or you break the law
- How dishonest Employees could take advantage of the system and what you can do about it
- Q&A

0:05:50 - 0:08:56 = Intros and Agenda
0:08:56 - 0:21:32 = Strategic Crisis Planning
0:21:32 – 0:49:31 = Employee Sick Leave Implications: FFCRA, PSLA & FMLA
0:49:31 – 1:19:23= Q&A

Resources:

Strategic Crisis Planning Slides
Leave Implications Slides
FFCRA Poster 
Department of Labor - New Regulations Document

LAST WEBINAR: Sustaining Work From Home & Demystifying the CARES ACT: What to do right NOW!

The Westmoreland County Chamber has assembled Subject Matter Experts Leia Shilobod and PNC Bank's Tom Weikel in the areas of IT Security and CARES ACT/SBA Loan Programs to bring you the most clear and relevant information. In this webinar, you will learn:

• Work From Home: What you need to do to sustain work from home and keep your business safe now that workers are remote, current cyber threats and best practices when working from home
• Disaster Loans: Demystifying the many options, How to apply, Which loan program might be best for you
• What you need to do RIGHT NOW to secure funds for your business
• Resources available from the Chamber of Commerce

0:00:00 - 0:03:55 = Introductions
0:03:55 - 0:17:40 = Sustaining Work From Home
0:17:40 - 0:59:30 = CARES Act / PPP Loan / EIDL Loan
0:59:30 - 1:00:47 = Resources for your business

Resources:

SBA Loan Comparisons

Paycheck Protection Program FAQ

SBA CARES Prep Checklist 

 

More Details on CARES Act:

Ami Kassar is holding a DAILY webinar at 12 noon EST to help you flesh out what the stimulus package means for small businesses. You'll want to jump on this webinar when you see changes coming down so you can hear in plain-speak what to expect.

In this one-hour interactive session you will learn:

· SBA emergency loan status - after CARES Act approval
· Existing SBA program initiatives - after CARES Act approval
· Importance of filing 2019 returns
· Do you have liquidity you can leverage?
· Calculating Operating Expenses (6 month burn rate)
· Online loans to watch out for and stay away from

Sign up for the webinar here: https://769yv3el.pages.infusionsoft.net/

Zoom Webinar: https://zoom.us/w/378451652  and  Password: 423895

 

SBA Disaster Loans:

https://www.sba.gov/disaster-assistance/coronavirus-covid-19

Apply for a loan as soon as its available. After they determine if you qualify, you will receive funds in 2-3 weeks. Apply even if you think you won't need it. You can always say NO.

MultiFunding has also put together a community site to help business owners navigate through the SBA loan process during these confusing times:  https://multifunding.tribe.so/

90 Day Financial Planning:

Meet with your CPA and/or Controller/Accountant and create a financial plan for the next 90 days. Re-evaluate this plan every 1-2 weeks to see if you need to adjust.

Stress test your cash! Alan Miltz’ SaaS tool for managing cash – no charge for 3 months – stress test your cash with just 6 numbers from your financials. www.cashflowstory.com/stresstest

Consider adding an expense line item called COVID-19 and dump off all expenses in there including your staff and personal time spent dealing with a crisis – this 30 second video by Ron Lovett, author of Outrageous Empowerment, will explain why it will make it easier to apply for government assistance if and when it comes available. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ron-lovett_outrageousempowerment-activity-6646137020743761920-N9Uo

 

Stabilizing Your Business: Improvise, Adapt, Overcome.

With constant changes brought on by the pandemic of COVID-19, your business may be presented with cash flow challenges and opportunities you may have never faced before. To respond to these changes, look no further than a motto with which you are familiar: Improvise, Adapt, Overcome. The slogan used by the United States Marine Corps outlines steps you can take to combat the challenges you are facing as you make decisions that will be key to the survival of your business. Read details on this strategy here: https://www.cricpa.com/stabilizing-your-business/

Financial Crisis Management Templates from My CPA and Author, Greg Crabtree. Will you have the capital needed to get back to pre-Covid19 profitability levels (or better)? Resource here: https://simplenumbers.me/crisismgmt/

 

Keeping The Office Safe - Boilerplate for Office Protocols:

If your facility is still operating and you have ANY staff coming onsite, you NEED to have clear protocols in place as to how and when people access the building. Here is a copy of our protocols for coming to the office, disinfecting yourself, receiving visitors, and receiving packages/mail.

InTech COVID-19 Office Protocols

 

Keeping Staff Safe When Going To A Client Site - Boilerplate for Onsite Protocols:

If your facility is still operating and you have the need to deploy your team into the field for any reason, you NEED to have clear protocols in place to keep them safe and assure everyone has the same level of diligence. Here is a copy of our protocols for going onsite.

InTech COVID-19 Onsite Protocols

Top 6 Best Practices For Businesses Amid COVID-19 from my business coach, Ryan Markel

https://petracoach.com/top-6-best-practices-for-businesses-amid-covid-19/

Scan the article for details, but in a nutshell:

  1. Prioritize Issues of Greatest Urgency
  2. Triple Your Communication
  3. Work from Home
  4. Use Video Conferencing
  5. Manage Your Cash
  6. Look for Opportunities to Do Something Extraordinary

Don’t Have Laptops For Your Remote Workers? Try Computer Equipment Rentals

CyberCrunch is our recycling partner and they have set up a program to rent refurbished laptops! If you’re short on hardware, they have laptops and desktops available that can be configured to your specifications and shipped to your workers anywhere in the country. And once the dust has settled and things are back to normal, we’ll handle the logistics of returning the equipment and wiping it of sensitive data. To discuss how CyberCrunch can help your business through this difficult period, please contact us at: rentals@ccrcyber.com or call (215) 970-7223  www.ccrcyber.com | 866-925-2354

A Thought To Keep You Going Through This Time:

This week my team and I have helped dozens of businesses get set up on remote access and given hours of guidance on navigating these uncertain times. We feel battle worn, and I'm sure there's some on my team who didn't want to get out of bed this morning.

Do you feel that way? Every time I do, I read this quote from Marcus Aurelius. He had problems getting out of bed, too. If the ruler of the known world could use philosophy to get up and do his duty, so can I. So can you!

“At dawn, when you have trouble getting out of bed, tell yourself: “I have to go to work — as a human being. What do I have to complain of, if I’m going to do what I was born for — the things I was brought into the world to do? Or is this what I was created for? To huddle under the blankets and stay warm?”

…So you were born to feel “nice””? Instead of doing things and experiencing them? Don’t you see the plants, the birds, the ants and spiders and bees going about their individual tasks, putting the world in order, as best they can? And you’re not willing to do your job as a human being? Why aren’t you running to do what your nature demands? You don’t love yourself enough. Or you’d love your nature too, and what it demands of you.”

- Marcus Aurelius

Staying Centered And Grounded - More Important Now Than Ever! 

We are in unprecedented times and the pressure on us as leaders has never been as great. Now more than ever we need to assure we take time for centering, grounding, mindfulness.

Our business coach, Ryan Markel, has granted us access to FREE Daily Mindfulness Sessions with Oksana Esberard.

Info on these sessions can be found here: SattvaMe Mindfulness Schedule

Pass along to your team!

 

 

REMOTE COLLABORATION TOOLS:

Zoom Video Conferencing: www.zoom.us

We use this at InTech. We hold a daily huddle each morning at 8:30AM for 8 minutes to align for the day and we get to see each other. Then I stay on zoom at my workspace all day to be available if someone needs something.

Slack Instant Messaging: www.slack.com

We also use slack in house to communicate in real time about internal and client facing items. We keep our team communication OUT OF OUR INBOXES. There is enough going on in there!

Microsoft Teams for Instant Messaging and Video Conferencing:

This tool is Included in your Microsoft Office 365 Licensing a the Business Essentials, Business Premium, E1, and E3 levels.

Free Microsoft TEAMS Training

Bigger Brains has moved their Teams training over to YouTube as a resource for companies who need to learn collaboration in a hurry.

https://getbiggerbrains.com/coronavirus-help-free-microsoft-teams-training/

 

SANS Security Awareness Work-from-Home Deployment Kit - FREE

The SANS Institute put out a free deployment toolkit/security awareness for working from home.

https://www.sans.org/security-awareness-training/sans-security-awareness-work-home-deployment-kit?utm_content=121882391&utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkedin&hss_channel=lcp-35509483

 

PODCAST: Mindsets for Scary Times

So, how is all of this affecting business?

And how will it affect YOUR business?

While many people are in a panic, Jay Abraham, Dean Jackson, and Joe Polish are NOT panicking at all, and you should know why. The three of them just had one of the most insightful, calm, and important conversations ever about succeeding in business in scary times such as what we’re experiencing right now.

They recorded the conversation and it is available for you to listen as I Love Marketing podcast Episode #362.

Of all the podcast episodes they've ever done, this will be one of the most important you’ll ever listen to.

https://ilovemarketing.com/safe-ideas-for-scary-times-entrepreneurship-amidst-chaos-with-jay-abraham-dean-jackson-and-joe-polish/

Links to More Helpful Information: 

COVID-19 live tracker – ‘This is a comprehensive, as close to real time as I have found, tracker of the global to local impact’

McKinsey – ‘This is the single most comprehensive set of information I have found on this topic including actionable insights’

Littler – ‘What we should be doing with teams during this time’

CDC – ‘What to do if you think you may have COVID-19’

World Health.net – ‘High dose Vitamin C and a prevention and/or a treatment’

OSHA – ‘Guidance on preparing the workplace for COVID-19’

Asaf Bitton, MD, MPH – ‘Why social distancing is needed and how to best go about it’

NBC News – ‘Video covering several areas of the virus – overall very good information’

Fast Company & A LOT MORE – ‘How to manage virtual meetings – best practices’

As we move to more remote working have ‘good’ and ‘frequent’ meetings will become highly valuable.

US Chamber of Commerce – ‘Top 20 Tips for building business resilience’

Medium – ‘What is flattening the curve and why it is important’

Sequoia Capital – ‘A look at the financial implications of COVID-19 from a business perspective’

McKinsey – ‘General implications for Business’

InTech Solutions