It's The Small Things That Count The Most

I've heard it said that about 50% of the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of this country comes from small businesses. And right now, as our government scrambles to deal with the COVID-19 impact, the more than 27 million small businesses are feeling it the most. Many small businesses will shut down over these state wide stay-at-home orders, and many others will struggle to get back on their feet once the orders are lifted.

It was reported Thursday that the SBA's Payment Protection Program has depleted their $349 billion to help small business make ends meet through these state wide stay-at-home orders. They went through this money in less than two weeks which proves how desperate small businesses are right now. The economy is shaken and small businesses are closing their doors around the country not sure if or when they will open them back up. This may force many of them to change the way they do business for the foreseeable future. Our society may not pour back into bars, restaurants, and movie theaters like we used to.

As for our industry, we are comprised by a vast majority of small businesses. From taxidermists and tanneries, to suppliers and processors we are small business saturated which isn't a bad thing at all. Small businesses make the world go round' and we play a large part in providing services or goods for people who either want or need them. We lean heavy on people not things to both keep our business running and our industry moving forward. I want us to focus on the good news through all of this and there are two things that we can take away: 1. We are not in control like we think we are. This should be an everyday reminder that there have been and always will be circumstances that arise that are out of our hands. If we play this right we can come out better in the end, learning, adapting, and ultimately pushing ahead to gain the right perspective in life, that only God is in control. 2. We are in an industry that appreciates everything that surrounds us. Hunting is as old as mankind, which says to me that it's as necessary as almost any practice. As long as there are people on this planet, there will be hunters, which means our industry has one of the best long term outlooks of any. We aren't some flash-in-the-pan tech company that's here today and gone tomorrow (ie: palm pilots, beepers, or car phones) we have proven staying power. If you work in or own a small business we feel your pain right now, trust us. Just continue to push forward and take each day as a new gift. Keep checking into the SBA to see if there are any new developments to help small businesses. https://www.sba.gov/ #smallbusinessstrong #worksmatnothard #COVID19