I've said this so many times over the past 3 or 4 weeks that it's starting to sound like a cliché but since it is getting weirder by the week, I think it's okay if I say it again. We are living in extraordinary times right now! Each time I've uttered that phrase I've thought to myself, "it will all be over soon" and each time I truly believe myself! I still believe that it will be over eventually but I'm not sure how long eventually will last!

People are afraid. I hear it in the voices of the business owners I meet. I can see it in the faces of their families and friends and I'm sometimes at a loss for words. What do you say to someone who is faced with the demise of his company? What do you tell someone who took his retirement savings and applied it to his business and leapt in a totally different direction? The truth is, there is nothing you really can say except that I'm proud of you!

I'm proud of you for believing in yourself and chasing after your dream. I'm proud of you for standing at the edge of the proverbial cliff and screaming, "GERONIMO!!!" and launching yourself into the world of entrepreneurship. I'm proud of you for embarking on a journey that most people don't have the intestinal fortitude to take on. I'm proud of you for listening to the naysayers who might have told you to get a real job and let somebody else worry about the bottom line.

I know this is hard, but you will persevere! Because you are an entrepreneur you will work as hard as you can to get beyond this corona virus fiasco understanding that someday we will look back in wonder and sigh with relief that we survived this. Because you are a dreamer you will focus on the distant horizon with the belief that your time is coming and you will emerge victorious. Because you are resilient you understand that when you survive the COVID19 slowdown you will survive anything that life can throw at you. You understand what you need to do to survive this because you are doing it every minute of every day. Just keep doing what you do best and it will all work out.

We are neighbors and friends. We must work together now if we want this to pass. We must keep doing whatever it takes to help one another out during this difficult time. Shop local from businesses whose top officers or business owners live in our own community. Buy from business people who make their products locally. Recommend these business owners to your friends and encourage them to buy locally. Order takeout from the local eatery. Order online and pick it up curbside or, better yet, have their delivery driver bring it to you and tip big when they do. If we all do our part to help each other through this fiasco we will all get through it quicker!

Buckle up everybody because this, in my own humble opinion, is far from over! We have only just begun and, as long as people are refusing to stay home and not socially distance themselves from the rest of the world, we are in for a long ride. I can only tell you to do what I am doing.

I'm working remotely from my home office where I have everything I need to successfully manage the operations of the Silver City Grant County Chamber of Commerce. I venture out to the grocery store only when I need to and I purchase only as much as I need for the next week or so. I check in with my friends and those who are more socially proficient than I and help them keep their sense of connection and quash their desire to go out in public. I order take out 2 or 3 times per week, I home cook a great meal 2 or 3 times per week and I snack on stuff to fill in the blanks in between.

If I can do it… you can do it!