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Right now, the particular challenge most are facing is reopening and/or adjusting to a new service model, and it’s important to recognize how internal culture, growth and development can influence your outcome and success. I’d like to share with you, two small business etiquette themes that can make a difference for your business:

Don’t let any easing of COVID-19 pandemic lull us into a false sense that things are, in any way, back to normal. The pandemic is representative of a class of risk items that are very rare in their occurrence (low probability) but have catastrophic consequences (high impact). Here are some ideas of other such events that could catastrophically impact a business.

If you own a business or are considering starting a business of your own, the learning never ends. Here are my recommendations for must-reads. Whether you own a business, lead a business or plan to start a business, these are, in my view, the essentials:

Gino Wickman, founder of E-Leap and author of The Entrepreneurial Leam, provides guidance to "entrepreneurs in the making" looking to find a mentor to help them grow their businesses. Watch the video to learn your next steps and how to maximize your relationship with your mentor.

As businesses reopen, thought and effort should be put into helping people transition back into the workplace. The following checklist format might give business owners some ideas on things to cover to help bring people back.

Cortney Moody, founder of Comfort Paws Mobile Canine Spa LLC, a self-contained mobile grooming unit that allows her to groom dogs in the comfort of their owners' driveways, is back open for business.

Every leader should continuously develop potential successors. Most leaders do nothing and then are horrified that no employee is really ready. That’s the best case in this bad situation. What if the situation got worse? What if there was the “unfortunate bus accident” or “sudden heart attack” and the leader was just no longer available?

COVID-19 has driven us to use electronic media. Zoom usage has exploded. Unfortunately, many companies cannot even operate during this time. The smart ones are keeping their employees and customers informed using email, texts, social media, videos and phone calls.

The outbreak of the novel Coronavirus has had devastating effects on the entire restaurant and hospitality industry, with small businesses taking an even harder hit. As I’ve navigated the uncharted territory recently for my own business and advised SCORE Detroit clients, I’ve compiled the best tactics for managing a restaurant amid COVID-19.

Risk is made tangible by evaluating the likelihood of the risk and the severity of the consequences should it happen. For example, a pandemic is one of those things that seemed somewhat unlikely (we thought) but would have a catastrophic consequence on most every piece of our existence (proven in real-time).

Donna Hover, Chapter Co-Chair of SCORE of Southeast Michigan, was interviewed recently for Rebound Detroit, an ongoing segment hosted by reporter Ameera David on Channel 7 Action News for WXYZ in Detroit. In the segment, David interviewed Hover and other experts to identify and highlight tools and resources available to small businesses in Southeast Michigan to help them cope with the Coronavirus and its economic impact.

Everybody is talking about “surviving the pandemic” and, "What will business be like in 'the new normal'?"  What I’m not hearing enough of is, "How do I recreate my business to be stronger and more resilient, both now and well into the future?" A recommended checklist for those who have the fortitude to charge ahead despite the challenges before them.