A couple things to follow up on our recent Member Call regarding the COVID-19 response. 

Recording of the Member Call: In case you missed it, you can view/download a recording of the call and read through the chat. The recording has been edited slightly during the breakout room time. If you don’t have time to watch, read the highlights instead. 

Breakout Rooms: For those wanting more information on how to use the breakout room functionality in Zoom, Zoom has some great tutorials. These “rooms” are a great way to build those smaller interactions between people while we’re not able to be together.
Note: For those who were asking, the recording stays in the main room the whole time and doesn’t capture anything happening in the breakout rooms. If no one is in the main session, the video is blank for the duration.  

COVID-19 Updates Landing Page: To keep everything in one place, we’ve created a landing page on the Member Site for all things COVID-19 related. We’ve included our recommendations for virtual cohorts and such on this page. 

CO.STARTERS Recovery Guide: We’re in the process of compiling resources that can help communities and businesses during this crisis. Feel free to share these with others in your community. You can also submit additional resources you find.

Small Business Recovery Repositioning: We discussed on the call how the CO.STARTERS Core program could be used to help existing small businesses reimagine their models in this ever changing market. While we’re working on a national sponsorship plan, if you’re interested in doing something similar for your community, we’ve drafted some language to help. 

Straight Talk with Starters Roundtables: We mentioned that Jose will be hosting these discussions next week. They are open to any entrepreneurs or small business owners looking for help and support (not only alumni). Feel free to share this information with your community.

Straight Talk with Starters Roundtables

These changing times definitely feel scary. We will get through this, and we will get through it together. If you are thinking through how to adapt your venture to accommodate #socialdistancing, we are here for you. Join us next week for Straight Talk with Starters, a time for entrepreneurs to come support each other and brainstorm ideas for moving forward. We will have three, industry-based sessions:

• Restaurants + Retail (Tuesday, 3/24/20 @ 2pm EDT)
• Makers + Service Providers (Wednesday, 3/25/20 @ 2pm EDT)
• Lifestyle + Consultants (Thursday, 3/26/20 @ 2pm EDT)

Sign up to join us and we will see you next week. Together, we go farther (even virtually).

Lastly, we know community is particularly important during this time. Please keep the conversation going and share helpful resources through the CO.STARTERS Member Facebook Group. Also, be on the lookout for invitations from Molly for more frequent calls as we navigate this new territory.