What a whirlwind the last few weeks has been for our nation. We are all faced with unprecedented challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

We at the Chamber of Commerce have been in touch with many of our members and know first-hand they are all trying to figure out how to navigate through this.  We want our local businesses to know we are a partner and advocate for you. If you have questions about how the Kaufman County Shelter in Place order impacts your business, give us a call. If you’re unsure if your business is considered essential, we’re happy to help you sort through that. If you are not sure where to turn to for help, we are here to help you find those answers.

We have created a page on our Chamber and Economic Development websites with COVID-19 resources for business. There you will find links to information on many different things, such as legislation, Small Business Administration links for Texas’ Economic Injury Disaster Loan, Trinity Valley Small Business Development Center, employer information, job seeker information, insurance, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, retailer and restaurant information, and more. There are also links to a couple of Facebook groups we’ve created – one where business owners or managers can share COVID-19 resources and another for Terrell area take-out and delivery options. 

Here are a few suggestions for our local businesses that may be useful:

1. Ask for help. Now is not the time to be prideful. Talk to your industry peers to see if they have ideas or suggestions your business may able to adopt during this time.
2. Work ON your business instead of IN your business. Now is the perfect opportunity to take that training you’ve been putting off, or to bring those marketing ideas to life. Perhaps you can think of new and innovative ways to serve your customers.
3. If you have cash flow issues, contact your bank or the Trinity Valley Small Business Development Center. They can get you going in the direction you need.
4. Take a step back. What are you doing that may be helping the situation? On the contrary, what are you doing that is hurting it? You can only control so much. If there is a piece of advice you may give to another business, perhaps that same advice would work for you.
5. Follow our social media channels and visit our website at www.terrelltexas.com for up-to-date information on canceled, postponed or rescheduled events, as well as updates on the City of Terrell and Kaufman County’s response to COVID-19.

Right now is a tough time for everyone, but especially for business owners. I encourage you to consider shopping local as much as possible. If you get tired of cooking at home, order take out or drive thru at one of our many local restaurants. If your favorite retail shop isn’t open right now, contact them to see if you can purchase a gift card or see if they have an online shop. These small businesses are so important to our community. They do so much for us and it’s our turn to give back and support them. We want them to be here when this is all said and done Please join me in doing all we can to support them.