The evening began with participants sharing inspiring stories of coping during the pandemic while still offering support for one another's entrepreneurial and personal goals. The small business owners also shared their current needs, their plans for reopening as well as things they had to do to survive in order to keep the business moving forward.

Next, Jamila Powell, Program Manager - Women's Business Center, opened the discussion floor with asking each business owner what strategies were used to keep the business thriving in this pandemic process and in what ways they had become innovative. Ms. Powell explained, “The Women’s Business Center is a place where you can talk about your challenges and struggles of being women entrepreneurs because we want to be that place that assists you on your journey to business success. We want to be able to provide you with the resources that can grow your business even in trying times such as these.”

The business owners continued by talking about how they all had to do a lot of research and planning in order to adjust to the changes the COVID-19 pandemic brought to the business. They had to quickly change their business strategies and become more innovative in the ways they provided the service or sold the product. Each small business agreed that growing their business in a different way while finding a silver lining amidst the pandemic has been extremely difficult. Many spoke about how marketing and advertising played a significant role in remaining connected to clients and continuing to safely meet their needs, when possible. 

At the conclusion of the evening, the business owners spoke about where they envisioned their business post COVD-19. Many were hopeful that their businesses could adapt with implementation of new, innovative strategies. All the participants offered each other words of wisdom and sentiments of encouragement. Then Ms. Powell offered her own thoughts, "Most people know the A- where they are now and the Z- where they want to be but need help working through the rest of the alphabet. It takes small actionable steps to get to the next goal." It is important for business owners to establish their long term goals while using short term goals to help them along the way. Since many entrepreneurs will come across hurdles during this process, each small step is significant.  

If you are a business owner who wants to take small steps toward fully reopening your business, attend the After the Curve series. Below are the remaining seminars in the series:

- 07/22/2020 - Accessing Capital in the Era of COVID-19
- 07/29/2020 - Engaging Clients & Staying "Top of Mind" in an Era of COVID-19
- 08/05/2020 - Sales Strategies for Retail and Service Businesses
- 08/12/2020 - Protect Your Small Business from Cyber Threats

LAEDA offers seminars and short-term course in various counties of South Jersey throughout the year. A long term course is also offered three times per year where entrepreneurs receive 72+ hours of training from industry professionals, business planning, and business counseling. The program is free, but you must qualify.

LAEDA welcomes you to join our community of successful entrepreneurs. Visit our website at www.laeda.com or call (856) 338-1177 to learn more. Let us help you through each milestone and each step of your entrepreneurial journey.