Times are definitely getting weird. I never thought after 17 years of owning my own business I would one day be forced to shut it down within a days’ notice.  To be honest, I knew things were not going great with the spread of COVID-19 aka Coronavirus or as I like to call it… Corona Donkey.  I would hear mainly from friends and my crazy wife about how there are not enough tests… its dormant for 14 days, and it tends to heavily affect the elderly and people with underlying health conditions.  We are definitely in some uncharted territory my friends!

Being in this industry we understand how cross contamination works and running a clean shop.  So, it was no surprise to me to hear that a crazy infectious disease was spreading like wildfire. People don’t know how to wash their hands regularly and not touch their face!  It’s actually amazing to realize how often you do need to scratch an itch on your nose… especially when it’s as big as mine!

But man... when Nevada’s Governor came out and said non-essential businesses need to close for 30+ days at first, I thought—well, it is what it is. But when the day came to see my guys take their stuff out of their booths in fear of possible looting, and even making arrangements to leave town due to the fact that they will be getting ZERO dollars coming in for 30 days. It made my heart break. I know its temporary and I know it SUCKS. But we have lived through some crazy shit already. First 9/11 then the great recession, and now Corona Donkey... all within the last 19 years.  My grandkids are going to think I’ve lived 20 lives when they hear about this shit!

But this blog is not about how we got here; it’s about how we get out of it.  The government passed a $2+ trillion-dollar stimulus with approx. $660 BILLION going towards small business owners, independent contractors, and sole proprietors.  That means that fellow tattooers we get to benefit from this to.  It’s called the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Round 2 of funding is currently in process.  

People who apply will get this stimulus through a bank or non-bank lender that is SBA approved for participating in this program and I will tell you, most banks are doing it.  Its 100% GUARANTEED by the government and is based on 2 ½ months of your average monthly salary (capped at $100k for all those famous tattooers out there) AND if you provide documentation you used it for your own salary, and other eligible business expenses such as rent/lease payment, interest on mortgage payment, or utility payments its FORGIVEN and you don’t have to pay it back. 

This requires very little information to obtain. They may ask for your 1099, or proof of income for 2019 which would be your Schedule C 1040 (they use line 31 from that form to calculate your income), but that’s about it. No Personal Guaranty, no collateral, and its intended for everyone out of work to get paid for the time they have had to figure out miracles not having any money coming in.  

Its not too late to apply, there is still money left. Just make sure you go to an institution you already have an account with as its generally easier to obtain the PPP through your existing bank. 

Visit ww.SBA.gov for more information on this program and Frequently Asked Questions to help you better understand how it works.