Good morning, PCV community,
I want to start by saying that although our office doors are currently closed, PCV very much remains open for business, and are here to help you through this uniquely challenging time as best we can. Most importantly, if you are a small business owner, our patient lending capital remains available, as well as our pro bono BusinessAdvising.org platform – where you can come and access expert advice for financial management, HR, and marketing to help you with strategies to get through this time. We are also launching a Facebook group of small business owners in our portfolio, suggested by a couple of entrepreneurs in our community – to help support each other through this time, and share strategies as often only you can with each other.
Times of crisis really force us to dig deep in so many ways, and test us in new ways. I’m thankful that our team at PCV remains committed to supporting the small businesses in our portfolio as best we can, and staying available for when you’re ready to ramp your business back up. As many of you know, we have also been working hard to deploy our Good Jobs, Good Business toolkit over the past year, to help more small business owners work through the dimensions of what it means to have a healthy business and prioritize employee health and well-being. This pandemic really tests us all to prioritize well-being – for your business, as well as how we can work with you to protect yourself and employees through this crisis, with the hope to build back better. We’re coordinating with the cities of Oakland and San Francisco on their crisis response. We are also working in partnership with our fellow community investors in California and beyond to meet upcoming needs small businesses will have. We want to hear from you; please reach out to let us know what you need, and if we can be of help. Below my note are additional resources we are updating daily on our homepage for local, state, and federal support you may be eligible for, and that our Advisors can also help you through.
If you are not a small business owner, but interested in supporting them through this pandemic, please become a volunteer Business Advisor with our platform – from the safety of your home. April is National Volunteer Month, and we will all need to come together to help our communities through this crisis. If you can engage others at your company, please reach out and connect with us directly so we can onboard your company’s team, at a time when many of you are having to cancel other volunteering events. The direct impact you’ll be able to have with small businesses needing your support now more than ever is priceless.
Above all, be safe, be well. Let’s crush this curve, and build back better together.
Bulbul Gupta
President & CEO, Pacific Community Ventures