Small Businesses in a Crisis

In a crisis, small businesses face the biggest challenges. But also the biggest opportunities.

I remember co-founding my headhunting company in Singapore in the middle of the global financial crisis in 2008. It was tough, no question about it. But while all of our larger competitors were turning inward and focusing on damage control, we were small and nimble enough to do the opposite. We continually reached out to our external stakeholders. We treated them as human beings, showing genuine solidarity and compassion. And while we hemorrhaged cash along with everyone else, we also built a level of trust and goodwill that endured for many years into the recovery.

Today, I received this surprise care package from Jessica Gleeson at the skincare company BrighterBeauty. It includes skin protection, face masks, protective gloves, home-baked cookies and some light reading.

That’s how you do it.

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For the Instagram version, see here.