Joel Libava
I’m a small business owner and an entrepreneur. What I’m not?
A diplomat. Because I refuse to engage in “the dance.”
The dance being the thing that often happens when one party wants to tell the other party how he or she feels about something…but dances around it for too many minutes. I can’t do it.
That said, if you’re an unvaccinated (or vaccinated) small business owner, I encourage you to keep that in mind as you read this.
An Open Letter To Unvaccinated And Vaccinated Small Business Owners
Dear small business owner,
Like you, I’m a small business owner. And something is bothering me.
This: there aren’t enough of us sounding the alarm.
Maybe it’s because pain has no memory.
Maybe it’s because we’re all so damn tired.
Covid this. Covid that.
Masks on. Masks off.
I’m tired of it too.
But I’m more tired of living in a pandemic.
I’m also tired of other things. Like:
The lies.
The bullshit conspiracy theories.
And yes…the politics.
But here’s the thing. Winter is coming. Again.
I don’t want any small businesses to close.
But unless we get our shit together, which means making sure we’re all* vaccinated, Covid-19 will continue to dominate the headlines. And hurt our businesses. But there is a solution. And it’s an easy one. Get vaccinated!
*Unless you have legitimate medical reasons for not getting vaccinated.
First, some facts.
Not alternative facts.
Just plain, old facts.
Note: As of this writing, the mandating of vaccines in the workplace is being fought in the courts.
Regardless, getting vaccinated and requiring workers in your small business to do the same, is the right thing to do. Especially if you want your business to thrive.
Yelp’s Report On Small Business Closures
Do you remember how bad things were in 2020?
In September of last year (2020) Yelp released it’s Economic Impact Report. Here are some of it’s key findings. (Courtesy of CNBC)
By the end of August, 2020, 163,735 businesses had indicated on Yelp that they have closed, a 23% increase since mid-July.
According to Yelp data, permanent closures had reached 97,966, representing 60% of closed businesses that won’t be reopening.
Note: those numbers were only from Yelp. Other data suggested even a larger number of closures.
Again, do you remember how bad things got?
Do you?
How Did Things Get So Bad, So Fast?
Before you read this section, I need to warn you about something.
Nah. Never mind. I don’t care if you think I’m taking sides. That said, I’m not slamming Trump. As you’ll see, I’m simply showing you what he said and what he did.
To that end, the things I’m sharing below need to be said. And all of us need to be reminded of how we got here. If we don’t, we’ll be stuck in a rinse-repeat Covid-19 cycle for years.
Here are a few reasons why things got so bad:
- The past administration’s unhinged and dangerous denial of the seriousness of the virus -watch this video to see what I mean…
I know…I know. Let’s continue.
P.S.
I’m not alone in this.
My friend, Gene Marks, a Small Business expert who’s frequently interviewed on Fox Business And Fox News wrote a column for The Hill that’s worth a read.
Let’s keep going.
- Anti-Vaxxers have been getting more press, which confuses people even more. Have you ever heard the nutty things Robert Kennedy Jr. says?
- Conspiracy theories about Covid-19 and Covid-19 vaccines. These include made-up nonsense about vaccines being formulated in order to implant digital microchips in humans to track their (our) movements. More
- Political agendas of people like this (barely a doctor) Senator, to Congressmen like this interesting fellow who probably needs an intervention of some type.
- QAnon-need I say more.
If you’re a small business owner who believes any of this, I ask that you take a step back (or two) and think things through. Because they’re out and out lies, and if you believe them, you’re not helping anyone. As a matter of fact, you’re making the pandemic last longer. And that means you’re part of the problem.
Are You An Unvaccinated Small Business Owner?
Again, I’m not the most diplomatic guy. So here goes.
If you’re not fully vaccinated, you need to be. Your employees need to get vaccinated too. Notice I didn’t say “please.” Why?
Because Covid-19 isn’t going to disappear “like a miracle.” And it’s not “like the flu.” I’ve never heard of someone dying because they got the flu. Have you?
With that in mind, the only way Covid-19 is going to “disappear, “or at least turn into more of a nuisance than anything, is by increasing the vaccination rate. How do I know?
Because I listen to scientists. Real scientists. I read what they write.
As a matter of fact, I’m friends with a scientist who helped develop some of the Covid-19 tests being used in the United States today.
Who I Don’t Listen To
I don’t listen to physicians who make stuff up so they can be on Newsmax, OAN, or Fox News. These people want their 15 minutes of fame so bad, they’re willing to risk their medical licenses.
In addition, I don’t pay much attention to scientists who’ve obviously been experimenting with their own formulations for too many years. People like this crackpot who thinks Covid-19 is “activated” by face masks.
One More Thing You Can Do As A Small Business Owner
Besides getting vaccinated, and requiring the same from your employees, there’s one more thing you can do.
You can help spread the word.
Specifically, if you know other small business owners who aren’t vaccinated yet, tell them to do it.
Explain how it will help us get out of pandemic-mode. How it will help our businesses.
And explain how the science works. This short video does just that.
And remember, the more people vaccinated, the faster we’ll be out of this nightmare.
Thank you for reading this, and use the share buttons below to pass it on.
Please.
The Franchise King®, Joel Libava
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