Laurie's Blogs.

With the chaos around the world right now, very little is being done to help small business owners to survive this crisis.  When we get through this, the economic fall out is going to be huge!  So I compiled some info from several sources to give you ideas, tips, comfort, alternate ways of thinking, etc.  See what works for you in helping you to get through this.  Best of luck everyone!  Hang in there!
Laurie

What you can do right now specifically regarding Covid-19

1. To Protect Others:

a.Social Distancing

b.Wearing a Mask(?)

c.Washing your hands properly

d.Covering when you cough or sneeze

e.Washing /Disinfecting surfaces

If you are still seeing patients:

•Have hand sanitizer and Clorox/Lysol wipes available.

•Minimize contact with clients (drop offs or 6 feet / 2 meters away)

•No waiting room (Have them stay outside and call when they get there)

•Treat outside if able (i.e. Plenty of equine therapists are still treating)

•Can you consider Tele-Health strategies for Follow-Up appointments?  Zoom, Skypes, Uber Conference, Facetime, What’s App…  for Exercises / ROM / Simple massage or manual therapies such as tail pulls, joint distractions.  Check out exercise prescription platforms.

•No Cash payments (reduce contact with coins and bills)

•Create protocols & educate staff (i.e. follow clients out with a wipe in hand, wiping everything they touched.  Wipe down touched surfaces in the treatment room between patients (laser, shockwave, table, chairs, door knobs, carts…)

•No human contact

•Daily sanitizing of surfaces & handles & knobs (Wipes or bleach & water) 1:10 bleach to water or 1:100!  Make a new batch every 24 hours)

•Wash your hands before using common area items (i.e. kettle, coffee pot, kitchen table / chairs)

•Use paper towel for drying

2.To Protect Yourself:

a.Social Distancing

b.Wash your hands often & thoroughly

c.Avoid touching your face

3.Last Line of Defense – Your Immune System

a.Good nutrition (healthy plants, fats, & proteins)

b.Stay hydrated (lots of water)

c.Rest (breaks & sleep)

d.Sunlight on your skin & eyes (closed eyes)

e.Fresh air (deep breathing / walks in nature)

f.Love, Affection, & Connection

g.Supplements:  Vitamin D minimum 4000IU up to 10000.  Vitamin C minimum 2000 mg, up to 10 grams (or to bowel tolerance).  Others to consider:  Elderberry, Quercitin, Oil of Oregano, Black seed oil (turmeric / curcumin derrivatives), probiotics)

From ACPAT member:

Jo Paul

Foot and mouth year (2001) saw similar challenges for Equine practitioners and most of us survived. We didn't have the social media opportunities we have now so a few thoughts, maybe you might find something useful below.

Don’t panic use the time to strengthen your business.

Work out your basic costs for a week/month and relate them to how many clients you need in a week to cover them. We get paid fairly well so maybe not as many as you think.

Try to convert as many large yearly costs to monthly instalments.

Make do with the kit you have, keep the funds you were going to invest for basic costs.

Prepare for a year of reduced business realistically next year before owners will bring their horses back into full work.

Don’t fall on your sword until necessary! Be guided by the current scientific information with best practice but don’t go beyond what is required.

Revamp your business plan.

Revamp your website.

Review your documentation system. Research different plans & complete the 30 day free trials, but don't commit to paying until you know things are getting back to normal

Research potential clients / referral sources to approach when getting back to normal.

If you have time offer to help at your local vet practice if they are short of support staff.eg reception/ vet techs etc

Write articles for magazines.

Make resources for your clients. Eg.Exercise sheets with pictures or put information posts up for your clients. 

Contact your clients /local riding clubs and offer online webinar or skype talks, won’t earn you anything but will continue to build your business when everything comes back to normal.

Offer a 4 week training programme bespoke to your existing clients and a Sykpe Consult for 30 mins, charge half your normal fee. Repeat each 4 weeks.

Share any good ideas you have and help other ACPAT members survive the next few months.

If you can, offer clinical education for students.

Hire out your electrotherapy kit to clients if you can assess appropriately. Monitor with skype and pictures.

Make yourself known to your local NHS manager if you think you may need some locum work. More than likely they will be looking for temporary help.

Don’t panic this will pass

If you have extra time:

For you, the business owner 

1. Work on creating your operations manual, systems and marketing plans.  

2. Online learning or reading books or papers that have been piling up 

3. Limit your social media “doom & gloom time”. 

4. Personal development time. Hobbies? Yoga? Meditation? Cooking? Books? Art? 

5. Create online courses / videos / e-books / blogs / manifestos / handouts / information packages 

6. Social media planning / scheduling

For your staff 

1. Write blogs or do some Vlogs (video blogs). 

2. Prepare lectures or courses to educate pet owners or referral sources 

3. Write articles for magazines – make contact and offer your services for free. One thing may lead to another! 

4. Catch up on paper work. 

5. Social medial strategies / planning (as above) 

7. Reach out to clients, how are they doing?  Engage on social media – ask questions.  Do Facebook lives.  Give content. 

9. Help with the creation of a systems document

Hang in there!  Stay well!  

Lastly, if it helps you to stay somewhat sane... here are the Covid-19 articles I've shared on my personal FB page.  (Not freak out info - but info that help you to stay informed and keep things in perspective.)

 1. Visualizing the History of Pandemics  (this one is a great visual, and the author updates the numbers on a regular basis - so I keep going back to it.)

2. A Fiasco in the Making (It tells you stuff you might not otherwise hear or think about.)

3. Northern Italy & Wuhan (Northern Italy has a unique connection to Wuhan, China that explains why Italy is being hit so hard with this.)