The page canât turn quickly enough on 2020! To say the pandemic put a wrench in the plans of the Pikes Peak small business community is the understatement of the year. Our small business owners were in the fight of their fiscal life and several didnât make it; for others every day is crucial. In fact, if you need to make a purchase before you finish this article, please shop, dine and hire services locally. For the folks in back, let me say that louder: SHOP, DINE AND HIRE SERVICES LOCALLY! Beyond the extraordinary challenges of running a small business in good times, 2020 started as a recession. The pandemic quickly brought small business owners new challenges as they were forced to stay ahead of the latest business rules related to COVID-19 â and new rules kept coming, mostly in the form of unplanned expenses and limits on customer capacity. Our business owners were in survival mode: Whereâs the next hit coming from? How do we survive? Who do we call for help?