As the lockdown is already lifted, more and more businesses are now allowed to reopen and operate.

However, even with a more relaxed guidelines and protocols, this doesn’t mean “business as usual” as the COVID-19 continues to persist.

How to safely reopen your business in the new normal? Here are some tips to help you navigate the new normal when reopening your business.

1. Prioritize health and safety of your employees and customers

While we understand that you need to recover business losses after a 3-month lockdown, the health of your employees and customers must still be your priority. You need to follow the health guidelines issued by the government and your city.

To mitigate the spread of the virus, we recommend that you implement the following:

• Provide face masks, hand sanitizers, and other disinfectant tools
• Clean and disinfect your office or store
• Implement temperature checks before entering your office or workplace.
• Conduct a “symptom survey” to check employees’ wellness every day
• Initiate COVID-19 rapid testing for your workers

To minimize person to person contact for your customers and clients, here are things we recommend:

• Encourage your clients or customers to use a cashless method as a payment option
• Place safety seals on bags
• Set up social distancing measures at your store entrance.
• Make sure your client wear a mask at your store

2. Be innovative

Operating in the middle of pandemic means you need to comply with social distancing measures. This will require you to work with a fewer employees and limited budgets.

While it can pose several challenges, you can also make out of this opportunity to streamline your operations so you can still work effectively with fewer workers.

3. Revisit your strategies

You probably have a lot of plans and goals this year that you could no longer pursue due to the pandemic. This may cause frustration on your end. While it’s totally understandable, you can channel your frustration into making your business future-proof. You can use the following as guidelines when reviewing your business:

• What’s your plan for your digital initiatives? Are you shifting online?
• Can your business work with the current business model?
• Have you found other revenue-generating streams to keep your business afloat?

4. Access financing options to keep your business afloat

Keeping a healthy cash flow during crisis can be challenging. With monthly expenses piling up and minimal sales coming in can put your business at risk.

The best way to sustain your cash flow during these challenging times is by having a financing partner that can help you in reopening your business. RFC provides access to finance for business owners who need non-collateral and short-term loans.  You can apply here.