COVID-19: An Open Letter to Our Advisors

To our amazing advisors,

It’s hard to begin to describe what has been going through my head these past days and weeks as Covid-19 has moved into the forefront of the entire world’s consciousness. I wanted to share a few thoughts from our founding partners as each of us navigate through this unprecedented time. I am going to avoid the standard advice (wash your hands, don’t touch your face, maintain social distancing) and instead talk about how we can help take care of ourselves, our clients, and our community.

Ourselves

“Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” - Audre Lorde

I have had the honor of getting to know each of you well and, as such, I am well aware of how many people rely on you. This goes beyond your immediate family and your clients to boards you serve on, school groups you volunteer for, neighbors you support and extended family members who look to you for guidance and comfort. It is during times of stress that many of us simply lean in even harder, without practicing the necessary self care:

• Follow the CDC’s guidelines for safety. Let’s ensure that each of us is an example in our communities by doing the right thing, despite the short term difficulties.

• Get adequate sleep and exercise; spend time outdoors; eat nutritiously; and, most importantly, breathe. Deeply.

• Practice gratitude. Recognize everything happening with Covid-19 is out of our control. What remains in our control is, even in these uncertain times, to choose joy. Don’t ignore  the opportunity to be grateful for what you have. While it doesn’t make this turbulent moment in our world’s history any better, it does give you perspective.

• Challenge yourself to produce content, as opposed to consuming it. The messaging about the effects of Covid-19 are everywhere and we already know it will get worse before it gets better. As such, it really isn’t going to help you to read about the latest celebrity/athlete/famous person who has contacted the virus or how fast it is spreading in other parts of the world. As long as you are aware of and follow the latest guidance from the CDC, as well as your state and local authorities, the rest of the news only serves to distract and upset. By producing content, even just sharing a little about your day, you can create a place of peace or learning for those who are overwhelmed by the pandemic news. 

Our Clients 

“In time of crisis, people want to know that you care, more than they care what you know.” -Will Rogers

Because we choose to serve America’s small businesses, our clients need us now more than ever. While we can’t necessarily give them immediate or easy answers, we can give them a sympathetic ear:

• Reach out to each of your clients with a simple message: “I’m here for you. How can I help?” Recognize that for many of our clients, simply listening to them as they struggle with what this crisis means to their business, their families, and themselves is all they need for now.

• Help your clients with financial modeling. Because we are more than just bookkeepers and bill payers, we have the skills our clients need to understand contingency planning, workforce management, insurance solutions, cash flow modeling, disaster mitigation, and financing options. 

• Brainstorm with your clients to identify pivots their businesses can make to react to the times - whether it is a  “new normal” or otherwise.

• Be aware of the many financial resources available to help small businesses. Whether it is special financing, deferred tax deadlines, business interruption support, or community grants, there is a growing list of programs available for small businesses. Coordination of these programs is important because they don’t necessarily complement one another (e.g., qualification for one program may automatically disqualify you from a different program). We have identified our own internal resources to gather these into one convenient location. We will make this available to each of our advisors and their clients, as well as the community at large.

Our Community

“Alone we can do so little; together, we can do so much.” - Helen Keller

At Breakaway we are all powered by the awesome support and inspiration created by our internal community of advisors. While we already do this every day, now more than ever it is also important to ensure that we support our external communities with that same passion:

• Because of our unique distributed model, we are already experts on working remotely. Let’s use this knowledge to teach our communities what we’ve already learned. Share how we communicate via Slack and Loom. Teach your neighbor (remotely of course) how to log-in to a server or connect onto the cloud efficiently and securely.

•  Recognize that every group, every club, every organization, and every neighbor has been affected differently. There are nonprofit organizations whose auctions have been cancelled. There are parents whose children are still stuck abroad. There are community organizations whose primary revenue source has dried up. For each of them, “social distancing” has localized those problems and made it difficult for any of us to rally around and assist. While we don’t have the answers, simply listening and offering to brainstorm with them can make a genuine difference.

• Be (remotely) present. Show up (virtually). Offer a (conceptual) hand. Spread the word (electronically). All of these things will Make a Difference. Our message of choosing joy isn’t simply about being falsely happy, it is about making a conscious choice to help others find their own greatness - and there have rarely been times where that help is needed more than it is right now.  

Thank you for being incredibly impactful and dedicated Breakaway Advisors. I am proud of each of you and know that we can and will make a difference.

Kristen Keats / Founder + CEO