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We’re starting this week with a little food for the soul: the story of Captain Tom.

At the beginning of April, 99-year-old World War II Veteran Captain Tom Moore set out to raise £1,000 for the UK’s National Health Service. His method: completing 100 laps of his garden before his 100 th birthday.


And then this happened.

After an outpouring of support, including words from Prince William, Captain Tom has raised over £29 million for the NHS, and has received hundreds of thousands of birthday cards from people around the world.

Today is Tom’s birthday. Happy 100 th Tom, you are an inspiration to us all! Anyone wishing to donate to Tom’s campaign can do so here. You can also watch him complete his 100 th lap in this video .
Government Roundup
First things first, a special shout out to our Federal and Provincial leaders for working together through this crisis , putting collaboration over politics to lead Canadians through the pandemic as safely as possible. From helping small businesses to reopening plans , they continue to choose cooperation.

More details have been announced for the… Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance for small businesses. The federal government has reached an agreement with all provinces and territories to lower rent by 75% for small businesses affected by COVID-19.
  • What’s happening. The program will provide forgivable loans to qualifying commercial property owners to cover 50% of 3 monthly rent payments that are payable by eligible small business tenants experiencing financial hardship during April, May and June.
  • How it works. Loans will be forgiven if the mortgaged property owner agrees to reduce the eligible small business tenants’ rent by at least 75% for the three corresponding months under a rent forgiveness agreement. The small business tenant would cover the remaining (up to) 25%.
  • Eligibility. Businesses paying less than $50,000 per month in rent and who have temporarily ceased operations or have experienced at least a 70% drop in pre-COVID-19 revenues. It will ALSO be available for non-profit and charitable organizations.
  • Students will have to confirm that they are looking for summer work to receive the aid. Further, the initial $1,750 for students caring for dependents or those with a disability has been bumped up to $2,000 per month. 
They’re also investing in medical research. Trudeau has announced $1 billion in support of a national medical research strategy to fight COVID-19, building on the $275 million investment announced in March. This will fund initiatives like vaccine development, virus tracking, and genome sequencing. More details on the specifics of this funding are available here .
 
And if you’ve heard about the meat shortage Canada is facing, Trudeau has reassured that the Feds are “very much on the issue”.
Some provincial plans
Looking to reopen? These provinces have unveiled roadmaps for how they plan to lift the lockdown. 

More support for small businesses!
  • Manitoba. Under the Manitoba Gap Protection Program (MGPP), the Province is providing up to $120 million in support of small and medium-sized businesses. The relief is available to any of the businesses in Manitoba who are unable to qualify for the various COVID-19 federal government assistance programs, an estimated 20,000 businesses.
  • Nova Scotia. Starting Wednesday, April 29, the Small Business Credit and Support Program will provide businesses access to credit, cash grants and support delivered through participating credit unions. Eligible businesses must have a payroll less than $20,000 in the previous fiscal year and must have experienced a decline in revenue from sales of at least 15% in March, or at least 30% in April, May or June.

Applications for British Columbia’s Temporary Rental Supplement Program are open. This program will provide a temporary rental supplement for April, May and June of 2020 to low and moderate-income renters who have lost income through the pandemic. Payments are made directly to landlords, providing $300 to eligible households without dependents, and $500 per month to eligible households with dependents.
Mirror mirror on the wall….
Whose got the best online presence of them all?!
With almost all human interaction reserved for the virtual world, optimizing your business’ online presence is more important now than ever.
Make the switch. Don’t have an e-commerce model? It’s time to pivot. This article covers the key factors to consider when pivoting to e-commerce, with a focus on processing online payments.
Tools to guide you. Vancouver based startup Spocket connects buyers, retailers and suppliers through a seamless dropshipping model. Their goal: to empower online entrepreneurs.
Adapt to higher volumes. With 129% year-over-year growth in U.S. & Canadian e-commerce orders as of April 21, it’s safe to say that e-commerce is booming. These new buying habits pose challenges for businesses – learn how to reduce friction, offer customized security and gather analytics as you manage the jump in foot traffic.

This map illustrates how pure play e-commerce and retailers (online activity) are performing in the last 7 days compared to the same period last year (pre-COVID19 outbreak).
COVID-19 COMMERCE INSIGHT, AN EMARSYS INITIATIVE IN COOPERATION WITH GOODDATA

Learn to leverage TikTok. This emerging social media platform gives businesses an opportunity to tap into a younger audience: Gen Z . Don’t overlook the benefits of video marketing – use TikTok as a tool to build your business.
SOPA IMAGES/LIGHTROCKET VIA GETTY IMAGES
GETTY IMAGES
Take notes from influencers. Influencers have long been skilled at building and uniting close digital communities. In a time where we need connection most, brands can learn a lot from influencer strategy.
Plus…a quick video from the Financial Post on how to boost your insta-game.

Survival guide for the Chief Digital Officer. McKinsey Digital covers the four dimensions of CDO leadership during a crisis: resilience, recraft and rebalance, engage with customers, and scale the use of agile tools. Not only will they help you survive the current moment, they will stabilize you for the next normal.
Shape your reputation. According to Stanford Business, a crisis is the best time to articulate what you stand for. What you do now will shape your reputation in the future. Understand the importance of leveraging your reputation so that you can channel it into actionable digital steps.
I hadn't thought of that...
From tax deductions to insurance considerations, here are a couple things we want to make sure are on your radar.

Tax deductions for work-from-home expenses. This article dives into Canadian tax law and the parameters around claiming deductions for home-office expenses on your tax return . Check out the link to see if you qualify!
Plus… this 11-minute video from the BNN Bloomberg Advisor Panel , full of Tax-saving strategies for Canadians.

Planning for retirement. As many gear-up for retirement in the midst of a global pandemic, anxieties are sure to arise. This article offers a Canadian perspective on how retirement-hopefuls can protect their portfolios through a pandemic.
Plus… a few more pre-retirement considerations, such as navigating RRIF contributions or tucking away extra cash.

Questions to ask your financial advisor. Should we be adjusting our portfolio given the market volatility? Does my portfolio reflect my risk tolerance, or is it out of balance? Make sure that communication lines between you and your advisor remain clear through the pandemic.
SPONSORED.
Insurance experts to the rescue. Insurance is one of those things you don’t want to let slip through the cracks. Thankfully, GYB’s NEW strategic alliance partner National Brokers Insurance has provided us with their COVID-19 circular, an incredible newsletter full of crucial info for women entrepreneurs.
  • You’ll find info on pandemic insurance, Certificates of Insurance (COI), as well as a host of other considerations such as cyber liability or employment practices liability. 
  • Plus, access to critical info on Bloom insurance, a unique insurance program designed by women who understand the challenges faced by female business owners and leaders.
  • Find the newsletter here.
And some resources to get you even more info

Workshop & Webinar Series for WBO’s. BMO for Women has put together a series of workshops and webinars designed to support women business owners through the COVID-19 crisis. Women entrepreneurs will get tailored feedback from subject matter experts, covering both personal and professional concerns.
  • You don’t want to miss this one – GYB Managing Directors Marg Hachey and Leann Hackman-Carty along with myself will be offering a session in May and June.
  • All events are FREE but are capped at 25 participants – so don’t forget to register! You can see the full schedule and register here. Topics include decreasing destructive worrying, navigating business recovery, managing finances, relationship marketing and more!
Some Spring Cleaning
Spring cleaning takes a different meaning in 2020. Take this moment to remedy old habits and be proactive about what’s coming next.

Secure your supply chain. COVID-19 is expected to have a long-lasting impact on global supply chains. 94% of Fortune 1000 companies are already experiencing disruption. This article offers three concrete steps that you can take to prepare your supply chain for a post-pandemic economy.
Plus… your supply chain stress test . This two-pronged approach will help you steer clear of shortages in the future.
REUTERS/Denis Balibouse


Reassess your hiring practices. Contrary to popular wisdom, “hiring the best” isn’t always the best strategy. Learn how to build better teams in your next round of hiring.
iStock/Fizkes
Strengthen your compliance program. Emerge from the crisis stronger with a well-supported compliance program. This article features 6 concrete tips. One suggestion: create a network of compliance ambassadors.
Reset unproductive routines. Take it from our friends at FAST COMPANY, “ If you have the means and the desire, self-isolation is a chance to assess what matters: What occupies your work time? How do your habits align with your priorities?” . Read on for tips on leveling up your routine so you can level up your productivity .
I'm not crying.... You're crying!
You are part of history. How will you remember it? Send your ideas to info@GroYourBiz.com so we can share them with our community.
I want to help – but how?



If you’re wanting to offer your support in the fight against the virus, but aren’t exactly sure how, take notes from your neighbors. Scroll through to see how others have been doing their part – you might just get inspired.
This Boy Scout has a plan. As essential works endure daily ear pain from constantly wearing a mask, Canadian Boy Scout Quinn Callander came up with an innovative solution to help. Using his 3D printing skills, he developed an ear guard that protects the ears from the mask’s painful straps. With his design complete, he printed and donated his new invention to local hospitals and made the template public so others could do the same.
Image credits:  hebby2u
That’s when Tyler Kinemond picked it up, an East Liverpool High School sophomore making ear guards for all of the staff at the Orchards nursing facility locations. It is truly spectacular to see these youth work together, continents apart, to support essential workers through the crisis.




Eat, sleep, quarantine, repeat. Catchy, right? That’s what’s printed on these amazing t-shits made by Cambridge Honda in an effort to raise money for four local charities: Cambridge Shelter Corp, Cambridge Self-Help Food Bank, Trinity Community Table, and Women’s Crisis Services of Waterloo Region. With the purchase of 1 shirt, $5 is given to each of the four charities. You can order yours here.
Giving small businesses a platform. At select locations, London Drugs is offering shelf space to small businesses so that they can continue to sell their goods. With only 21% of small businesses in Canada fully open right now, the help is greatly appreciated. Amazing work, London Drugs!

Support Local. Support Local BC is a new website where people can purchase gift cards from local businesses across British Columbia for future use. Launched on March 25, 2020 in response to the pandemic, it offers you a chance to support your local business community.
Goodie bags. Locals for Locals TO is a Toronto-based initiative, whereby shops on West Queen West worked together to create goodie bags full of local treats to be sold online. This initiative was spearheaded by a local resident – the amazing Bonny van Rest.
And a little laughter
Our favourite source for some humour, GYB alliance Anne Day is back with another quarantine cartoon. Take a peek.
We'll leave it there for today.
As we wrap up our 6 th week of TIPS for TOUGH TIMES, we wanted to share some of the amazing feedback we’ve gotten from our community. Reading your thoughts and comments is SO important to us as it allows us to create even better content for you and your business. 

“Bless you for this! Thank you for sorting out the information jungle! This is fantastic!”
– Rob Arthurs, Owner, Robert A Arthurs International

“Great work and communication content. My Son owns a craft brewery in Ottawa and as you can imagine, he is having difficulty making ends meet like many other businesses but, he is keeping his head above water. Your information is helping him to quickly find government funding available for his business (staff pay and loan availability) quickly. Also, and most importantly, your messages provide a huge morale booster.”
- Douglas McVeigh, Founder, McVeigh Consulting

“I think your communications have been fantastic. Congrats on helping so many business owners when they really need you!”
- Lisa Milburn, Chief Marketing & Communication Officer, BMO Wealth Management and Executive Sponsor, BMO for Women

We want to hear from YOU - how often do you read the newsletter? Which section best addresses the challenges you’re facing? Please take a minute to leave a comment on our LinkedIn , Instagram or Facebook page or click the feedback button below.
And just to let you know… our free trial virtual advisory board has been a smashing success so far, with registration full on our last four April time slots. When women leaders put their minds together, true innovation ensues.
Don’t miss your chance to join in – registration for our May time slots is OPEN and is available here.

We also have our Webinars , each hosted by knowledgeable and passionate leaders from the GYB community. Here’s an overview of the next four:

  • Tough Decision Making Amid COVID-19, May 5th, 2020
  • Find & Follow Your North Star, May 12th, 2020
  • Constructive Conversations and Difficult Negotiations, May 14th, 2020
  • Basics of Customer Retention, May 19th, 2020

All four webinars will occur at 9:00 am – 10:00 am PDT. You can register here.
Can’t wait to see you back here next week.
#togetherathome #togetherweshare #togetherstrong
#excelsior
GroYourBiz Ltd.
Barbara Mowat, President
Let us know what you thought of this week's newsletter!