Startup Resources for Remote Work, Pandemic Response

Never in my lifetime have I seen 17 million people file for unemployment within a few weeks. Couple that with all the country-specific travel restrictions, and the shutdown of certain retail industry sectors: entertainment, in-store dining, travel, brick 'n mortar stores, and from a state mandate, closure of non-essential businesses such as daycare centers, hair salons, eateries w/o takeout or delivery options, etc. 

Here is a compilation of resources that your small business or startup may find useful:

Video conferencing. Alternatives to Zoom conferencing if user privacy is a concern:

• Google Meet (formerly Google Hangouts)
• Goto Meeting
• Join.Me
• WebEx
• Microsoft Teams & Skype

COVID-19 Response Plans. HR policies and procedures that address health and safety of employees

• HR Examiner - Employers Coronavirus Checklist
• Coronavirus Overview for Startups by Elad Gil (blog)
• LifeLab's Google Doc - HR & People Ops Prep Doc
• CDC Guidance for Business re: Coronavirus
• Baker MacKenzie - Essential Action Items for US Employers
• Sample Response Plans
• Handshake
• Coinbase
• Front

Remote Work Policies & Tools (examples):

• Slack - Remote Work Tips
• SHRM - Legal Resources & Tools for Remote Work
• Zapier - Guide to Working Remotely
• GitLab - Tools for Remote Work
• InVision - Running Effective Remote Events [PDF]

Grants and other non-money assistance:

• Google - $340 million in Google Ads credits available to all SMBs with active accounts over the past year

Small Business Gov't Resources

• SBA's Small Business Guidance & Loan Resources
• Paycheck Protection Progran
• EIDL Loan Advance
• SBA Express Bridge Loans
• SBA Debt Relief
• 100 most active SBA 7(a) lenders

WA State

• WA official COVID-19 website
• SBA COVID19 Disaster Loan Programs
• Working Washington Small Business Emergency Grant (WWSBEG) - application [PDF], CREDC website (local small business agency in SW Washington) - one-time grant of $10,000 for small businesses with 1-10 employees or sole proprietors, FAQ

Urban Summit 2012

I met a lot of interesting people at Portland's Urban Summit today. I also found that Mercy Corps NW hosts business seminars (and has visitor parking at their bldg on Naito Parkway). The summit was styled like mini-TED talks with speakers covering topics such as cultural intelligence, elevator speeches, business storytelling, and business development.

Key Takeaways

• Marketing is about relationships (between the business owner/company and everyone else--vendors, partners, customers--for the best possible experience (speaker: Veronika Noize)
• Have a powerful, clarifying message (elevator speech) when someone asks you what you do
• Ask for the sale; Offer a prospect the opportunity to discuss if you might work together
• Say "thank you" or appreciate the rendered service to make clients super loyal for choosing you
• Business storytelling is a lot like word-of-mouth marketing (speaker: David Vanadia)
• It can be positive or negative; it conveys energy to others
• The "about me" page on a website is the most important part that helps build the brand and your story; it should answer what is the value about what you do
• Portland resources for SMBs (speaker: Kent Lewis, Anvil Media)
• StarveUps
• PDC - Portland Development Commission
• PIE - Portland Incubator Experiment
• Portland Ten
• OEN - Oregon Entrepreneur Network
• EO - The Entrepreneurs Organization (requires min $1 mil revenues)