Infuse Issue 11 May 2020 | Page 13

"If you are not
healthy (including
financially healthy)
you cannot help
others."
As I write this, we are in the midst of the
COVID-19 crisis, and I will not profess
to give you any business strategies to
get you and your business through this
difficult time. I am hoping that as I read
this article in the May issue of Infuse,
that we are on the other side of this crisis
and my advice below is in preparation for
the next crisis (there will be more).
Foster generosity if you can.
To be honest, my business was thriving
in 2008/2009 when the Global Financial
Crisis hit, and many health businesses and
households including mine were not as
affected as other businesses. I absolutely
do not have experience in thriving after an
event such as COVID-19, where all work
evaporates seemingly overnight. What I
do know a lot about, is dealing with tough
times and adopting a sense of resilience
with the knowledge that you will come
out on the other side. From the outside,
when you look at my life and what I have
achieved, you could easily mistake that
life is easy for me. It is not and I won’t
take you down some of the more personal
difficulties I have faced in my life, but
living with a disability - Ehlers Danlos
Syndrome - has prepared me to deal with
continual hard times. Each day I deal with
pain, dislocations and fatigue… but I have
embraced these as my normal. Most years
(except the last 2 - fingers crossed), my
life stops as my doctor tells me I need
another surgery and all of my plans will
be swept to the side for 8 - 12 weeks. This
sucks, like our situation today sucks, and
hopefully the below strategies that I use to
get me through these periods help you in
this situation.
If you are not financially affected by the
crisis, or the Government incentives
allow you to keep staff and re-purpose
their work to build for the future, please
do this. We need those people who are
still getting a pay packet to help small
businesses and their employees if
they can.
You must feed yourself first.
If you are not healthy (including
financially healthy) you cannot help
others. As noble as it is to answer the
call of campaigns (putting others first,
shopping local and supporting small
businesses etc) you need to reasonably
look after yourself first now. Do a personal
cashflow analysis (moneysmart.gov.au
budget template here) and a business
cashflow analysis (template here from
ANZ Bank). Get personal advice from
your accountant and/or financial planner.
Overall, do not spend money you do
not have, unless you have a strategy to
be able to pay back the loans that you
obtain during this time. Finally, if you have
employees that you do not need and you
cannot sustain, you may need to let them
article continues overleaf...
© Dietitian Connection
13
Infuse | May 2020