What It's Like to Own a Business During a Pandemic

Around this time, two years ago, Tommy and I took a leap of faith and signed a lease to the future home of Henchmen House Barbershop before he even passed his state board test to obtain his barbering license.

In fact, he was still in his last several weeks of schooling when we were presented with the opportunity for the space and we couldn’t pass it up. Oddly enough, the timing wasn’t ideal but we had already outlined our business plan awhile back, and the opportunity really pushed for us to solidify our plan and set it in motion.

We poured our blood, sweat, and tears into this business. The fear of failure gave us anxiety but we learned a lot about our marriage, how we approach business as two individuals, and how to navigate life among other things. One day, I’ll write a blog to showcase all the work Tommy physically did to put our shop together.

Our first day of business was in the dead of winter – December 22, 2018. Opening in the winter was scary because, for most business cycles, the wintertime was their slow season especially right after the new year. We had a rough winter that year and there were days where we were slow. We had two barbers, including Tommy and we steadily pushed along and before you knew it, we added a third barber by April 2019.

Our community grew. Our clients became like family and friends. Our memberships flourished and we were humbled and overjoyed. We couldn’t be happier because we worked so hard on this little corner in Creston that we’ve created. By the end of 2019, we added a fourth barber to accommodate our amazing clients based on their feedback that it was starting to get difficult to book appointments!

We were finally able to breathe a little. We had high hopes for 2020. We’re no longer the inexperienced millennials who first started this business running around with our heads chopped off determined to give our clients and staff the best experience and culture. But then, COVID happened and within the first 3 months of 2020. We were faced with a difficult decision, and as a team, we decided that we needed to close down until it was safe to reopen.

And just like that, our once busy shop was empty. We were inundated with information from every direction yet no clarity on what the “right” thing was to do. We had closed down several days before we were mandated to. It was a tough decision for our team to choose between money and health. Ultimately, we all decided on our health and our client’s health.

From there, we waited until we could be included for unemployment as we join the millions that either lost their jobs or were mandated to close. The next several weeks would show the divide our community felt with the Stay-Home Order. Laws changed every single day, or it seems. We were filing for PPP, grants, loans, and assistance at every chance we could get. The information was exhausting to navigate because some things were not properly outlined like the PPP. It left many of us not knowing if we should apply or wait around and risk losing the opportunity to apply. You had business owners demanding the economy to reopen so they could work and provide for their families after weeks of no unemployment assistance and/or rent was stacking up. On the other hand, you had business owners that were relieved to be shut down due to health concerns and being able to qualify for assistance.

As the weeks went on, all of us became anxious because of the uncertainty. Every two weeks, our mandate would be extended and every two weeks, we would have to shift our clients again to another tentative reopening date.

Nevertheless, our clients supported us. We spent a lot of our time figuring out protocols for safety whenever we’re allowed to open back up and find our new normal. Many days, I find myself really anxious because the protective gear has skyrocketed in price to a point that the math doesn’t make sense for a small business anymore.

And to be completely honest, I’ve been conflicted every single day on what is the right decision to make. I worry about things like the safety of our clients and staff and now the experience will be changed forever. I worry about the loss of benefits if we reopen too soon and be forced to work even if we don’t feel safe. I worry about being experimented on to see if a second wave hits. I also worry about how long we could last if we had to be shut down any longer.

In hindsight, all the risks we took back when we first opened our business could never have prepared us for this pandemic. All of our concerns back then seem so minimal compared to the impact and imprint of this pandemic that will be with us forever as we rebuild our new normal. Whatever decision you decide to make, try, and lead with your morals. Put humans first. It’s easy to get emotional over finances but at the end of the day, we are all humans and we need to take care of one another because without all of us here there would be no community to come back to. Stay safe, friends!