SUPPORT FOR GREATER CHATTANOOGA IS PROVIDED BY EPB FIBER OPTICS I BECAME A HOUSEKEEPER WHEN I BECAME A SINGLE MOM.

I COULDN'T PAY MY RENT EVEN WITH GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE.

SO A FEW OF MY FRIENDS CALLED ME UP AND SAID "HEY DO YOU NEED SOME EXTRA MONEY?"

TWO WEEKS LATER I QUIT MY JOB AND I HAVEN'T LOOKED BACK SINCE.

IT'S BEEN SIX YEARS.

AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PANDEMIC I HAD A COMPANY CALLED ECOCHOICE AND OUR MAIN FOCUS WAS LIVABLE WAGES AND ECO FRIENDLY PRACTICES.

2020 STARTED OFF GREAT.

WE WERE HITTING RECORD CUSTOMERS.

NOT LONG AFTER THE NEW YEAR I HAD HIRED A NEW EMPLOYEE SO THERE WERE THREE OF US.

EVERYTHING WAS GREAT.

WE WERE RIDING HIGH.

MAYOR ANDY BERKE ALSO DECLARED A STATE OF EMERGENCY FOR THE CITY OF CHATTANOOGA.

HE SAID THIS IS THE APPROPRIATE RESPONSE AS HAMILTON COUNTY NOW DEALS WITH IT'S FIRST CASE.

YOU HAD SHUTDOWN OF PRETTY MUCH EVERYONE BUT THE ESSENTIALS, AND THE ESSENTIALS WERE PRETTY NARROW.

SO HOW DO YOU BALANCE BETWEEN A PANDEMIC AND HOW DO YOU DO THIS SAFELY AND ALSO HOW DO YOU FEED YOUR FAMILY?

I MADE A LOT OF PHONE CALLS.

I CALLED ALL MY CLIENTS THAT I COULD GET A HOLD OF OR TEXTED WITH THEM AND ASKED THEM FOR THEIR OPINION ON WHAT TO DO WHEN THE LOCKDOWN STARTED.

I CALLED THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT.

THEY COULDN'T TELL ME WHERE I FELL IN.

I TALKED TO DOCTORS, I TALKED TO NURSES, I EVEN TALKED TO A MICROBIOLOGIST, AND MADE THE DECISION TO SUSPEND ALL SERVICES.

HAVING TO CLOSE, REOPEN, MAYBE CLOSE AGAIN.

IT HAS SUCH AN IMPACT ON THE EMPLOYEES.

NOT JUST THE BUSINESS OWNER, BUT THE EMPLOYEES OF THAT BUSINESS.

YOU KNOW, ALMOST 70 PERCENT OF AMERICANS LIVE PAYCHECK TO PAYCHECK.

SO NOW THEY'RE SHUT DOWN WITH VERY LITTLE WARNING FOR TWO WEEK OR THREE WEEKS, THAT CAN BE MAKE OR BREAK.

THERE HAVE BEEN BUSINESSES THAT HAVE GROWN DURING THIS TIME, AND GROWTH IS NOT EASY, GROWTH IS EXPENSIVE.

YOU HAVE TO GROW RIGHT, OR YOU'LL GROW YOURSELF OUT OF BUSINESS.

BUT WE'RE SEEING A NUMBER OF OUR CLIENTS GROW THROUGH THIS PANDEMIC, AND THEY'RE GROWING BECAUSE THEY'RE PIVOTING OR THEY ARE LOOKING AT ADDITIONAL WAYS TO DO BUSINESS.

WE HAD TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO SORT OF STAGGER THIS STARTUP, SO INSTEAD OF DOING A GRAND OPENING WITH LIVE SHOWS, AND RECORD SALES, AND THE TATTOO SHOP, AND A FULL SERVICE COFFEE BAR, AND ALL THESE THINGS WE WANTED TO DO.

WE SAID "WELL LET'S EAT THE ELEPHANT ONE BITE AT A TIME."

WE CAN SELL RECORDS RIGHT NOW, THAT'S SOMETHING WE CAN DO, SO LET'S JUST FOCUS ALL OF OUR EFFORTS THERE.

IN SPITE OF THE PANDEMIC, IF WE STAY ON TRACK THEN I THINK WE HAVE A CHANCE.

HAVING HARD CONVERSATIONS WITH SOME BUSINESSES THAT THEY'RE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO CONTINUE.

AND HOW DO YOU HAVE THAT HARD CONVERSATION AROUND HOW IT MAY BE TIME TO JUST SHUT IT DOWN.

I CAN'T REMEMBER ONE GIVEN MOMENT WHERE I KNEW I WASN'T GOING TO GO BACK TO HAVING EMPLOYEES AND DOING THAT, THAT I NEEDED TO FOCUS MY LIFE.

IT'S REALLY BEEN A GRADUAL REALIZATION BECAUSE I HAVEN'T KNOWN WHAT TO DO.

ALMOST THIS ENTIRE YEAR I HAVE FELT SO INCREDIBLY LOST.

THAT WAS MY IDEA WITH GAINING EMPLOYEES WAS TO GIVE THEM THAT FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE.

I WANTED THEM TO EXPERIENCE THE SENSE OF COMMUNITY IT GAVE ME.

AND REALIZING WHEN THE LOCKDOWN HIT THAT I COULDN'T DO ANYTHING FOR THEM, I WAS POWERLESS.

JUST BECAUSE A BUSINESS FAILS DOESN'T MEAN THE PERSON'S A FAILURE.

IT COULD BE THE RIGHT IDEA BUT AT THE WRONG TIME MAYBE THE WRONG CIRCUMSTANCE.

I HAD INVESTORS WHO WERE LIKE "HEY THERE'S NO SHAME IN CALLING IT QUITS, DON'T WORRY ABOUT THE MONEY" BUT I JUST COULDN'T GET UP EVERY MORNING AND LOOK IN THE MIRROR AND JUST LOST EVERYTHING, LOST IT ALL, AND JUST GO BACK TO WORKING AN OFFICE JOB FIVE DAYS A WEEK.

ANYTHING THAT COULD DAMAGE YOU IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO BECOME BETTER AND BECOME STRONGER.

THAT BEING SAID WE'RE STILL IN AN INCREDIBLY PRECARIOUS POSITION.

IT HASN'T BEEN EASY.

I WOULD ACTUALLY SAY IT'S BEEN ONE OF THE HARDEST YEARS OF MY LIFE.

I JUST GOT BACK FROM THE RAPID TESTING FACILITY IN LOOKOUT VALLEY, AND I DO HAVE COVID.

I AM GOING TO BE IN QUARANTINE FOR THE NEXT TEN DAYS WHICH MEANS WE WILL BE CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.

IT HAS BEEN DIFFICULT FOR THOSE WHO ESPECIALLY MAY HAVE NOT BEEN IN THE BEST OF SHAPE TO BEGIN WITH, BUT EVEN BUSINESSES THAT HAVE BEEN VIBRANT, HAVING TO SHUT DOWN HAS BEEN VERY DIFFICULT.

ONLY ABOUT TEN PERCENT OF OUR BUSINESS IS ONLINE, SO THAT WAS THE WORST WEEK OF SALES WE'VE HAD TO DATE.

NOW THE FOLLOWING WEEK WHEN WE REOPENED WAS ONE OF THE BEST WEEKS WE'VE EVER HAD BECAUSE PEOPLE WERE SO GLAD TO WALK THROUGH THE DOOR AGAIN.

NOW IF IT HADN'T HAPPENED RIGHT AFTER THE HOLIDAYS, WHEN WE WERE STILL KIND OF RIDING THE HOLIDAY SEASON WAVE, I DON'T KNOW IF WE WOULD HAVE HAD THE FINANCIAL STABILITY TO SURVIVE THAT BREAK BECAUSE IT WAS SO TOUCH AND GO.

I FEEL A STRONG SENSE OF OPTIMISM EVERY WEEK IT FEELS LIKE BUSINESS IS GETTING A LITTLE BETTER.

AT LEAST MONTH TO MONTH.

IT'S NOT LIKE FLIPPING A SWITCH SO I'M CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC.

FOR SIX YEARS I KNEW, I HAD A PLAN, I KNEW THE PROCESS, I KNEW EXACTLY WHAT I WAS DOING, I HAD GOALS.

I THINK WITH EVERYTHING THAT HAD HAPPENED I COMPLETELY LOST ALL SIGHT OF THAT.

I'M COMFORTABLE WITH HOW THINGS HAVE TURNED OUT, BUT I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING I STILL QUESTION.

I THINK THAT'S A LOT OF WHAT LEADS TO THE INDECISION THAT I REALLY STRUGGLE WITH.

I DON'T KNOW IF THAT WAS THE RIGHT CHOICE, I DO KNOW I PROTECTED PEOPLE, AND THAT HAS TO BE ENOUGH.

AFTER EVERYTHING LAST YEAR, I HAVE FOUND GARDENING WHICH I HAVE ALWAYS LOVED TO BE THE MOST HEALING PROCESS.

SEEING GARDENS GETTING CREATED, SEEING PEOPLE COMING TOGETHER AGAIN AND STARTING TO MOVE FORWARD.

I THINK IT GIVES US HOPE.

AFTER A REALLY DARK YEAR OF NOT A LOT OF HOPE, IT'S FINDING THAT HOPE AGAIN.