It is nearly a month since the Government turned the key on a nationwide lockdown — changing the world, almost overnight, for businesses across the UK.
Despite being promised support packages, many small businesses fear they will not survive.
Figures this week revealed that banks have given vital loans to only 5,000 British firms — despite there having been 300,000 inquiries.
Helen Forsyth, who runs Find Marketing Ltd with her husband Richard, 46, has been juggling trying to save their business while home-schooling her children and battling the coronavirus
Here, in a remarkable account, one small business owner shares the diary that details her company’s fight for survival.
Helen Forsyth, 45, who runs Find Marketing Ltd with her husband Richard, 46, has been juggling trying to save their business while home-schooling her children, aged 12 and nine — and battling the coronavirus.
At times the mother of two, from Bradford-on-Avon, Wilts, had to work from her sick-bed…
Friday, march 13
I’m not superstitious, thank goodness, and March is going well. As a marketing agency, we employ freelancers to work on specific projects.
This year, our sixth in business, is supposed to be about growth. We’ve won a place on NatWest’s Accelerator programme and have hired a new member of staff, Jo, who will join the team on Monday.
Restrictions: Boris Johnson at a press conference on Monday 16
Monday 16
A Busy day on site with a client. Get home late and sit with Richard, in the dark, watching Boris Johnson begin nationwide restrictions on travel on social contact.
We’ve been careful in recent days, but suddenly everything sounds incredibly serious. In a heartbeat we know we could lose everything.
Tuesday 17
Car-crash of a day. Every deal in our diary has collapsed. Explanation the same — no one wants to spend money on third-party costs. Go to bed in a state of shock.
Wednesday 18
Have to let Jo go; it’s only her second day. I cry. She cries. I cry again. Urgently give notice on our office space. It’s owned by the council — they make us a counter offer to stay with a big discount. We agree, hoping restrictions might be short-lived.
Friday 20
Spend day looking into universal credit. I’ve never claimed before but am getting desperate.
Don’t think I qualify. Heart sinks. Today is my kids’ last day at school. How can I save the firm and home-school the children? Do an emergency profit and loss forecast. Don’t like the look of it. Anxiety is sky-high.
Monday 23
By 9.05am my eldest is crying at the idea of a Joe Wicks workout. By 10.30am, I am thinking about drinking wine — I don’t even drink. Home-schooling is a nightmare.
Husband is starting to look ill. Please, no! Try to chase up all late payers to attempt to assess bad debt. But by the end of the day I’ve achieved nothing. Feel a total failure.
By 9.05am my eldest is crying at the idea of a Joe Wicks workout. By 10.30am, I am thinking about drinking wine — I don’t even drink. Home-schooling is a nightmare (stock photo)
Tuesday 24
Getting lots of calls from our team — regular freelancers and contractors we use. Many are desperate following yesterday’s lockdown announcement. At the moment I have to focus on trying to save the firm.
Look at bank loans, but we’d be taking out a business loan to pay our mortgage. Husband is barely able to stand and eventually gives up and goes to bed.
Wednesday 25
Rumours are growing that the Government will release a support package that could solve our problems. Feel relieved and hopeful we won’t need to take out a business loan.
Thursday 26
Government announces package for self-employed workers. As far as I can tell, we don’t qualify for any grants. And as directors, if we furlough ourselves we would have to suspend the business.
The disappointment is crushing. It always felt brave to be entrepreneurial, taking big risks, but now we feel we have been left high and dry. We hope that at least the freelancers we work with are eligible for more help.
Sunday 29
Not sleeping well. But had a business idea in the dark to create a national database, findtasty.co.uk, where you can find food and drink businesses which will deliver to your home.
Work all night trying to do the groundwork. After much discussion with Richard — who’s still feeling ill — we decide to go for it. It’s going to cost about £1,000 to do.
We don’t anticipate anything more than ‘surviving’ right now — but this idea could be something for us to build on.
Tuesday 31
My back’s been aching for several days and today, I feel really grotty.
Richard starts the day well, but by 10am, he collapses into bed.
By 1pm, I’ve gone downhill badly. I record a video for my team, but I’m slurring and look like death.
By 1pm, I’ve gone downhill badly. I record a video for my team, but I’m slurring and look like death
I take my mobile to bed and my husband takes his and sleeps in the spare room. My temperature goes up to 38.4c and I feel awful, but have no cough.
I carry on working despite feeling ill — who else is going to do it?
Wednesday, April 1
Wake up at 4am, in pain. Can’t sleep. Work until 6am. I know friends and family would tell me off, but I couldn’t sleep because of worrying.
Stay in bed working from my phone for most of the afternoon. Don’t see the kids all day.
We have an interest-only mortgage at around £750 a month. We do also have a personal loan that we are paying back.
Typically, our monthly cost of living is around £2,500.
Friday 3
Have an 11am video-conference call with a potential customer on Zoom, praying I won’t start coughing mid-session.
The call goes nowhere — but at least I don’t cough. I am wiped out. Start to worry about bad debt, most people have paid us on time this month, but next month is worrying me.
We have a very small amount of savings, only enough for about two months’ worth of the cost of living — even if we cut everything right back to the minimum.
Monday 6
Kids are now on Easter break — I thought it was hard when they were home-schooling, but now they have nothing to do.
How can I be a half-decent mother and run a business at the same time?
We haven’t taken a family holiday in years because we run our own company and don’t have the time or enough spare cash.
The fear is that we will lose the house; it’s a bigger fear than not being able to take a holiday.
My breathing is bad and I’ve had to give up on any work whatsoever this week.
I pray that the clients we have are patient and will stay with us.
Wednesday 8
Call 111 and speak to GP who tells me I need to be assessed immediately and says she’s going to call an ambulance. I refuse the ambulance, but agree to go to our local hospital, which has a Respiratory Assessment Unit.
Husband drives me there at 9pm. Kids have to wait in the car. Assessment takes two hours — the NHS staff are kind, caring and amazing.
Am sent home and feel grateful I didn’t have to stay in hospital, but surprised I was tested for almost everything but coronavirus since I wasn’t admitted.
Friday 10
It may be Good Friday, but I must do some work. We have to keep our clients as happy as we can, as we have no other lifeline — except the option to take out a business loan, in order to pay our mortgage and put food on the table.
We can’t end up in serious debt as a result of this coronavirus pandemic, but with no help from the Government, we have no choice but to try to keep our business running.
Where might we be in a month’s time? I’ve no idea.
Our annual turnover last year was under £200,000, and we predict that this year it will be less than a quarter of that.
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