These last few days have been like no other in my life.
I have always been proud to have built a company where the team members are cherished as much as the clients are. Whenever anyone asked me what the secret was to why our clients are as happy as they are when they come to us, I have always said, it’s our team! I have always focused on making sure the Shobha team is taken care of and the Shobha team has always focused on taking care of clients. Given that the focus has always been to put my team first, it is heart wrenching to say that I have had to lay off the entire Shobha family so that they can receive unemployment. As a company, I am focusing our efforts on making sure after this nightmare is over, that everyone will have a company to come back to. I can’t believe that it has come to this, but with no income coming into our salons, it is impossible to pay our team members for an indefinite period of time.
I have seen some company CEOs announce that they have sacrificed their salary so they can keep the team on board. I wish it was that easy. I, too, am not taking a salary, but that is still not enough to make a difference when our income has gone to zero for what could potentially be weeks.
I have never needed the help of the government like I do now to help my team make it through the next few weeks so we can all go back to work. If there is any way I can contribute to the understanding about how small businesses can be helped right now, I am happy to do my part. Given what I have read about the new bill, it is not going to give us the immediate relief that we need.
Many of you have reached out to us about how you can help our team and/or a specific team member. We are working on a way to make that happen, so stay tuned!
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being a part of our Shobha family! Stay safe and healthy during this unprecedented time!
Take care,
Shobha