The COVID-19 pandemic has forced businesses all over the world to make difficult decisions. Many small businesses have had to close their doors, and even those that remain open are struggling. If you are one of the lucky few who have been able to keep your business going, you may be wondering how you can get government funding to help you survive this tough time. For small business owners, this can be a time of great uncertainty. How will the pandemic affect my business? What should I do to prepare? One thing that small business owners can do in times of crisis is to seek out government funding. This blog post will discuss some tips and strategies for navigating government funding during a global pandemic. We will also talk about how to do food delivery during a global pandemic. Stay safe and stay strong, small business owners!

So, the twists and turns of March were fascinating because they served as a spillover from what occurred in February. So if you’re a first-time reader (welcome), check out the blog’s recommendations for dashing during natural catastrophes as well as some key government resources.

Now as I’m sure you can relate, in addition to natural disasters and global pandemics you still have debt to repay and life events to be present for. Am I right?

For me, the list felt like it was never-ending this month:

• Car Maintenance
• Birthday Celebrations
• Bridal Showers
• Baby Showers
• Flat Tires
• Tax Filing

When you’re on a debt-free journey any one of these things can feel like you’re putting three steps forward to take two steps back. So, how do you manage it all without sacrificing your sanity or the potential to jeopardize all the progress you’ve made so far?

Here are three tips that helped me make it through one of the craziest months I’ve had in a while:

Tip #1: Create a Debt-Free Game Plan

I’m a big believer in being proactive and not reactive when it comes to your finances. So, when I got my car maintenance estimate that was almost as much as my monthly rent payment I didn’t panic (no actually, that’s a lie…I still panicked).

But what helped was me creating a list of all upcoming expenses and crossing them off one by one.

Tip #2: Make a Debt-Free Budget

After I created my list of upcoming expenses, I sat down and created a budget for the next few months. This helped me to see where my money was going to be going and also helped me to make some adjustments to my spending.

For example, I knew that I would be spending more money on gas because of all the driving I would be doing for the bridal showers and baby showers. So, I adjusted my budget accordingly so I spent less money this month on other things like eating out and reduced my grocery budget. This was a tough adjustment for me, but I knew it was necessary in order to stay on track with my debt-free goals.

Tip #3: Have a Debt-Free Mindset

One of the most important things you can do when navigating your debt-free journey is to have a debt-free mindset. This means that you are focused on becoming debt-free and you are not going to let anything get in your way.

Surround yourself with like-minded people. If you are feeling discouraged, research blogs and youtube videos to discover a community of creators that are on the same journey as you are! This will help keep you motivated during rough times like these.

How to do food delivery during a global pandemic?

Speaking of hard times, the month of March was unquestionably one of them. After the COVID-19 lockdown, no one knew how gig workers and other companies would be affected. Many restaurants were open, but this was due to the fact that most Texas restaurants provide outside dining areas. As a result, while they had the inner portion of their restaurant blocked off with tape, the tables on their patios were full of patrons ready to be served.

During the lockdown Doordash continued to be a lifesaver for many people because it allowed them to still get their favorite meals without having to leave their homes. It was also a great way for small businesses to continue to generate income during this time. But with COVID-19 restrictions removed and restaurants now allowed to open at full capacity, where did that leave delivery drivers?

Door Dash Drivers make money when people want to stay home. And that tends to happen during inclement weather or when there’s a global pandemic, which explains why 2020 was my highest gig-work earning year.

So, with people now venturing out again and restaurants opening their doors, many Door Dash Drivers are left wondering if they will still have a job.

The answer is: it depends.

If you are a Door Dash Driver in a small town where not many people are going out to eat, then you may not have as many orders as you did a few months ago. But if you’re in a larger city where people are still cautious about going out and restaurants are struggling to keep up with the demand, then you may actually be busier than ever.

The best way to find out is to talk to your local restaurants and see how their business is doing. If they are busy, then there’s a good chance that you will be too.

How to navigating government funding during a global pandemic?

In the meantime, here are a few tips to help you navigate these uncharted waters:

• Visit NAV.com to complete your PPP loan application.
• Once you’ve completed the application it will be reviewed by their trusted partner SmartBiz.
• Then create a free Nav account to explore additional business financing options in addition to PPP funds. Nav offers unbiased financing recommendations based on your personal and business credit profile. They can save you time so you can get approved quickly.
• If you live in the state of Texas look into the disaster relief and unemployment compensation programs as well. But keep in mind there are several steps involved before you become qualified to collect the funds. It’s a long process so stay vigilant.
• I’d also recommend checking out the SBA Disaster Loan Program. This program provides additional grants and low-interest loans to small businesses that have been affected by a declared disaster. The SBA also has a variety of other programs that can assist small businesses, so I encourage you to research which ones might be a good fit for you.

No one knows what the future holds, but by following these tips you can help ensure that you’ll be prepared for whatever comes your way.

Total Door Dash earnings – March 2020 vs March 2021:

March 2020	March 2021
$1,754.14	$964.42

 

With the aforementioned life costs in the month of March. I didn’t have enough money left over to make an overpayment for the month. However, because I applied for Texas Disaster Relief funding while waiting on PPP funds, I was able to utilize those relief dollars towards my student loan debt in the total amount of $964.42.

I was also able to discover some new information about making “late” overpayments on your student loans. If you don’t make an overpayment on your student loan within the same time period as your regular repayment, the loan servicing portal may try to apply your overpayment as an early payment. Read through the payment page carefully and if you’re unsure about anything, call your loan servicer to ask questions.

Here’s what to look forward to in the month of April:

• Great weather conditions for driving: April is coming and that means warmer weather, which is great news for Door Dash Drivers! Not only will you be able to enjoy the outdoors more, but you’ll also be able to make more money. Rainy days tend to be the busiest for Door Dash, so keep an eye out for those! And don’t forget about daylight savings time! You’ll have an extra hour of sunlight to make deliveries, which means more opportunities to earn money.
• More holidays: With Easter and Passover coming up, there will be plenty of people ordering food for their holiday celebrations. This is a great time to make some extra cash!
• The return of sports: Baseball season is just around the corner, which means more people will be ordering food to eat while they watch the game. And if you’re lucky enough to live near a stadium, you could make some serious money on game days!

Things that I’m not looking forward to:

• More car repairs : It’s never fun to have to shell out money for repairs, but it’s just a fact of life. My most costly expenditure this year will be getting my car’s air conditioner fixed.
• If you live in really hot weather conditions like we do here in Texas, having AC is essential and can be potentially life threatening if you don’t.
• Not addressing a mechanical issue like that can also effect business because if temperatures are too hot, it will become impossible to make any deliveries past noon. This reduces income.

So there you have it! These are just a few of the things ahead in the month of April. Be sure to take advantage of the opportunities that come your way and you’ll be on your way to making some serious money. If you found this article helpful, please share it with your friends and family who are small business owners or thinking about starting their own small business. And if you have any questions, feel free to leave it in the comment section below, I’m happy to help!

Stay focused on your goals and don’t give up! Happy earnings!