To my fellow licensed Cosmetologist, Esthetician’s, Massage Therapists, Barbers and anyone in the service industry:
On Sunday March 15, I made the most gut wrenching decision to TEMPORARILY close my Salon & Spa. Which left 25 people out of work. You know that feeling in your stomach when it drops? Or it just feels like it’s on fire, the anxiety sets in, the heart beats faster & faster, maybe you start to sweat or feel like you could just throw up? as a small business owner, I felt every inch of that by ten fold. By far the most difficult decision I have had to make in business. I thought firing someone was hard….this was much harder.
I based my decision on the recommendations of the CDC & our local health department. To flatten the curve and to adhere to the rules of social distancing. Our job as licensed Cosmetologist, Esthetician’s, Massage therapist & front desk is in fact a very close contact career. I myself have a weaken immune system and I know first hand how quickly the simplest things spread.
This COVID-19 doesn’t fit in any categories we have seen to date for the reason of the wide & quickly spread of this virus. It is an old , yet new virus that doctors , Nurses and scientists are learning from everyday. Please everyone Thank them.
I pray for everyone on the front lines of this epidemic, I pray that they along with their families are safe & healthy. I pray that we are all safe & healthy. I pray people stay home and Stay away from others, if we all are in this together and do it for each other this will pass sooner than later. We must listen!
Since Sunday I put in place My action plan.
I called the Bank right away to explain our situation, I told them with zero income I have no means to make my SBA loan payments along with any other payments. I started calling The credit card companies to ask what they could do in this time of crisis, I called my car loan/ lease company, I talked to my insurance agent. Anything on auto pay I canceled for the reasons of no income. (like many of us depend on daily by having clients in our place of business)
It has taken me all of this week to make endless phone calls, of what felt like an eternity of “waiting times” And bad music ! By the end of yesterday I was 100% successful in getting deferred payments, along with some companies waving interest fees. I have applied for another SBA relief loan to help with payroll , taxes , and every other payment that will be due by the time we all go back to work. I encourage you all not to wait to make these phone calls. Be proactive.
For those of you that heard our cities recommendations yesterday to temporarily close, Try not to panic, if you put in the effort & you call everyone on your list and explain that in fact the COVID-19 epidemic that this entire country knows about is effecting you, your family and your buSIness ! You too will have a better grip on this financial downfall each and every single one of us is feeling.
I am just a week ahead of most of you in this particular field. I want to share with you what I have done in this past week. By no means does this mean I am not scared like the rest of the world, but I have some kind of a handle on the financial strain. I hope to inspire you to be proactive about this ASAP. I urge you to file for unemployment under the COVID-19. Call the numbers the local government is telling us about, educate yourself on what you can do to help your small business or your self-employment.
This takes time and more help will be available as the days go by. I hope I can spread a little peace and love to you all. Remember we are in this together and we are strong and we fight and we will survive. Spread Joy, help others in more need than yourself, and most importantly love one another and be there for each other.
A very large shout out to my team for being the best at what they do, understanding and Supporting my decision and for the extra help along the way. My Husband Adam because he is my rock, my Family, Friends and clients.
With Sincere Love,
Beth Alms-Knutson
