How can entrepreneurs recognise that their business is not them, and that its possible failure in times like these is not a reflection of them personally.
Tauranga mayor Tenby Powell is calling for the immediate opening of small businesses to save thousands of jobs amid the Covid-19 lockdown.
In a statement today, Powell asked the government to start the process of a staged move out of level 4 lockdown to "save jobs and livelihoods" in the city.
Powell was not alone, with National Party Leader and Tauranga MP Simon Bridges calling for Alert Level 4 to be lifted next week and work to be done to safely get businesses and workers back on the job.
Powell described small businesses as the city's "economic backbone" and the force that will lead the way into economic recovery.
"New Zealand's business landscape has cataclysmically shifted and we need to respond accordingly with an immediate and disciplined pathway for the recovery of our economy."
He said he commended the government on its business support packages, including the new Tax Relief Package for small business announced today.
Powell has asked the government to start the process of a staged move out of level 4 lockdown. Photo / File
He also said he was in full support about maintaining a continued lockdown approach to mass gatherings to stamp out contagion.
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"However, what we need now is a commitment to the immediate, staged reopening of small businesses, post lockdown, to save thousands of jobs and mitigate the potentially irreparable damage that will be sustained to our economy if we don't open New Zealand for business again quickly", he said.
"Four weeks ago our small business economy comprised over 480,000 enterprises, representing 97 per cent of all businesses, employing 30 per cent of our work force and contributing close to 27 per cent of GDP,
"While this will have changed dramatically in the post COVID-19 environment, it is sub-sectors of the small business economy which will most quickly recover and lift the wider economy with it and we must support them urgently."
He said the curve was flattening nationally and as the Bay of Plenty only had 41 confirmed cases, it was time to reopen parts of the regional economy while still practicing physical distancing.
Bridges held a similar view when it came to rolling out business again throughout the country.
Bridges told RNZ's Morning Report: "When we think about the health effect of staying in lockdown, I'm coming to a pretty clear view ... that we should come out of lockdown next week and we should be working to safely to get businesses and workers back.
"I do want to get to [alert level] 2 ... we are trying to get that business and work back, but ... I am realistic. I am not suggesting suddenly that we are going to be at 2 overnight. I do say though that we should be agile and trying to get there."
He said he wanted to move away from just essential services being allowed to work, but added that he was not suggesting the country had overreacted and said he supported going into lockdown.
Minister for Small Business Stuart Nash announced a $3.1 billion cash injection for New Zealand businesses today, putting employers in a good place for the restart.
He said the best economic support they can give businesses was to protect the health of their workers, their customers, their support services, and their families.
"We can't squander a good halftime lead by getting complacent. We will stay the course, break the chain, control the virus and come out the other side, ready to build our nation again."
He said the most important steps that every small business could now take was to structure their business so that it could operate in Alert Level 3 or 2.
This included well-signalled public health and hygiene measures like physical distancing in the workplace, contact-less payment and delivery methods, regular washing of hands, the ability to do contact tracing of customers and visitors, appropriate use of PPE, and ensuring anyone concerned about their health or symptoms steps forward for testing.
