As the U.S. economy undergoes an uneven recovery from the virus pandemic, many small business owners face a tough decision on whether and when to take on employees.
The pandemic forced Meghan Gardner to let go of 16 staffers at Guardian Adventures, which ran educational summer camps, part of an industry decimated by the virus outbreak. While Gardner got a Paycheck Protection Program loan and ran online camps during the summer, by October she couldn t afford to pay her employees.
Gardner would like to build her company back up, but the virus is still raging and the future for children s group activities is still uncertain. She s worried about the summer of 2021 being a repeat of 2020.