EFFECTS OF THE CORONAVIRUS ON A SMALL BUSINESS - DAY 8 (24/03/2020)

Lock down, its heart breaking really, we will stay open in a manner and today have finished Police Baton Round vests that they desperately need. These vests are manufactured on our premises and we have 5 other orders to be manufactured just for the Police including 150 slings that we are part way through (If you are reading this)

It would be great to just shut up completely now for 3 weeks, pay the staff claim 80% back off the government and away we go again but who is going to fulfill the orders for the Police, I have invested just about every penny in the hand sanitiser that will arrive next week and there are shops and individuals that are desperate for it, I received an email today from a lady who’s autistic child gets anxious when he runs out of hand gel. I first bought all the hand sanitiser to keep the company going now I have created something that we have to fulfill whether it would be financially viable to continue or not.

With the lock down now in its first phase it’s not profitable to be open as a retail outlet and the online orders will help but to what degree I don’t know as most of the suppliers have shut, several have said that if we receive Public Service orders that they supply they will open just to get those orders out to us.

Today we took down years of work and while I sometimes just live in a bubble of what I think I have created I lose sight of the staff and after we he had disabled years’ worth of work today Contact Lefts manager said he could cry, that’s exactly the way I have felt all day without realizing its other peoples years of work as well, he started as an apprentice years ago and now runs the place it must be heart breaking. The head of manufacturing/head designer who’s prioritizing what work needs to be done for the Public Services coming in day after day to make sure that the Police have the right kit, these actions aren’t done because they are looking at making loads of money. The same people worked late after major terrorist incidents in the UK to make sure kit got out.

Loads of messages today from people offering us help with delivering orders if we need it, shops that we supply telling us they are closing but will still pay all their bills, the list goes on.

To everyone who we haven’t replied to in an email or any trade orders that havnt been invoiced yet, we will get them done tonight or early tomorrow. For anyone that thinks we shouldn’t be trading at all right now, God will be our judge and believe me the last thing I want to do is go home from work and pass this virus onto my family or vice versa.