Looking back on all of our Calendar Year and Financial Year planning, never in a MILLION years would we have thought to plan for what’s become of the first few months of 2020.
Yes, it caught us by surprise. Yes, we were momentarily stunned.
But it was instant that, as businesses, we knew we needed to respond; and that response was the kind which would go down in history.
So now that what we have been calling “the new normal” is becoming business as usual, how are you faring?
Really. How are you?
The heart and soul of the Local Buying Program are small businesses. Mums and dads and sole trader businesses. Coffee shops, shoe shops, machine shops and florists. Innovators. Excavators. Inventors. Logistics.
There is not a sector, industry, community or dining room table conversation which hasn’t been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
We see the impacts and the fall-out every single day. But in the midst of that, quite incredibly, are the opportunities and the innovative thinkers which are helping to see us all through.
One of the most satisfying and encouraging things we have witnessed in the past few weeks is the uncompromising commitment people have to make it through. We have seen some fantastic examples of lateral thinking and some of the most creative work-arounds you might never consider otherwise! But it works!
Whether it is BHP freeing up the supply of milk for coffee vendors and cafes in the Pilbara, buyers channeling their efforts toward projects which will keep the flow of work opportunities steady (if not higher!), or even the efforts of our own C-Res Program Administration Team in processing claims at an unprecedented rate to shore up the cash flow of the businesses we know are counting on it, we are seeing a deep and unwavering commitment to making things happen and keeping businesses afloat.
Seeing that is how I can say to you, with hand on heart, that we’re with you.
It’s a good feeling to know that none of us is alone in this.
We are all in this together. And it is that, above all else, which will see us through.