Support for SMBs and Freelancers during the spread of COVID-19

[mjensen415]

1392×924 269 KB

A letter to the Fiverr community & beyond.

The worst thing about the COVID-19 (aka Coronavirus) is the uncertainty that surrounds it. How dangerous is it really? Will it last through the summer? Will there be a vaccine soon?

As the Coronavirus continues to spread across the globe, governments, businesses, and individuals are trying to work out what it means for them, how to protect themselves and how they can help.

In many ways, Fiverr is an embodiment of remote work already. In ordinary times, our community enjoys an engagement that allows them to have freedom over their time and location, but in these uncertain times, it also provides a safer environment to work in.

It is becoming increasingly clear that businesses around the world are likely to be impacted by the changes imposed because of the virus. More people are being instructed to spend less time in public places and more time at home. Despite the uncertainty and restrictions on movement, life and work will and must continue and the Fiverr Community, in particular, are highly accustomed to rapid change with the ability to adjust. And while the long term impact of the virus is hard to predict, in the short term, businesses will have to think about moving the majority of their activity online.

We’ve been thinking about ways in which we can help our community of small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) manage in this new environment and decided to put together a new website dedicated to helping SMBs in these uncertain times. You can find the new website at www.SMBhelp.com. It will provide guidance, tips, and tools for those who have questions about how to put more of their business online. Here is what you will be able to find on the new website right now: General information regarding the impact of the virus on businesses; General tips on how to take your business online, and if you are already online – how to promote it; Links to products and tools being offered as special deals to SMBs right now by companies around the world; Free courses that Fiverr is donating, and, in addition, we are going to offer 24/7 customer service support team to answer your questions and concerns about your business. We will do our best to help in any way we can. We are in this together and working together makes all of us stronger.

Millions of people around the world are finding themselves in a new business reality, quarantined in their homes or with major travel restrictions, we hope that by offering these resources for free it will create more opportunities for more people, to take their business online, to learn new skills, or to start the business they have been dreaming of.

Lastly, if there are resources you think we should include in the new site, please send them to us or post them on social media using the #SMBhelp hashtag.

Make sure that you continue to follow your local government’s guidance and please stay safe.

Yours,

Micha Kaufman

Founder & CEO, Fiverr

[sirieht]

This is a great post! I’m an illustrator and having some of my conventions closed recently has been very financially hurtful. I’m new on Fiverr but I’ve been selling art for over 10 years and this Corona virus has been a nightmare.

[ducktheunicorn]

What’s great news is that the COVID-19 has been fully mapped by researchers at the Sauer Structural Biology Laboratory who are currently working on a vaccine. Thanks to Fiverr, I had the joy of writing about this breakthrough for a wonderful buyer.

[meldawn9]

It’s odd but I’m already getting a ton more work than I do normally.

That being said, I have a family member in the hospital right now.

We must take this pandemic seriously. I’m just waiting here… more people will take it seriously as friends and family pass on…

Working online is definitely the future and I am grateful I can sit at home and avoid the germs!

[michal247]

It spreads so fast, few weeks ago we learned about Wuhan and now COVID-19 is in our city in Poland.

[misscrystal]

What’s great news is that the COVID-19 has been fully mapped by researchers at the Sauer Structural Biology Laboratory who are currently working on a vaccine. Thanks to Fiverr, I had the joy of writing about this breakthrough for a wonderful buyer.

I was reading about that after you mentioned it. That means that finding a vaccine has moved along faster than if they were starting out new to work on it. That’s a branch of U. of Texas working on that.

It’s still going to be a while before a vaccine is available but at least they have that virus mapped. And according to what I read, they have a plan of developing a vaccine due to having the virus mapped.

[misscrystal]

It’s odd but I’m already getting a ton more work than I do normally.

That being said, I have a family member in the hospital right now.

We must take this pandemic seriously. I’m just waiting here… more people will take it seriously as friends and family pass on…

Working online is definitely the future and I am grateful I can sit at home and avoid the germs!

I have a family member in the hospital right now.

I’m so sorry to hear that! Hoping it goes well.

[rafique_sumon]

Thank you so much for your information and I should take care of our health and pray for COVID-19 of our creators.

[solwonder]

Most of us here have the safest jobs at the moment! 😉

[divyagoel]

Its a great initiative! Highly appreciated and helpful for everyone. There is the way out of everything, not the easy way but still just try for the new beginning, Awareness is all we need and this will create awareness for online business.

[luvbeautiful]

Thank you for this message, working online can be very isolating at the best of times so we should support one another and give advice where needed

[voicebyjason]

Great Job!!! The new website is spot on 👍 Donating free courses is the right thing to do and very impressive. I am proud to be part of such an amazing organization. Thanks for the letter

[humanissocial]

Now if only Fiverr could devote that much energy into removing the problems that penalize sellers for what buyers do wrong! Perhaps not as strong a public relations opportunity.

Sorry, but these things frustrate me. We’re supposed to oooh and aahhh about this gesture, but it’s a deflection of the systemic issues within the platform.

I’m not saying Fiverr owes us anything because of Corona – not at all. I’m just saying that if they’re going to essentially brag about the good they’re doing for sellers, they should also address the unfairness that they’ve attached to the selling experience here – stuff we’ve been venting about here and elsewhere for literally years but nothing changes.

After all, the unjust elements of Fiverr affect sellers’ income from the platform the most and no amount of free resources is going to change that.

[pykins]

Thank You for this initiative, especially the free courses. I have been without any order for the last 2 weeks. My clients are mostly from f&b industry and they are affected hugely by convid19. Will keep myself busy with learning new skills. Thanks!

[fareha_mohona]

Thanks for giving us this opportunity.
In our country corona virus also spreads so fast, few weeks ago we learned about Wuhan Italy Iran But now COVID-19 is in our country in Bangladesh. Please Pray for our country all.

[faisalaziz1]

Its been more than two months but not received any single order yet, as per my skills. Now the terror of COVID-19, we are isolated, and govt have no help for us. If we go outside, we are not sure it will be safe or not. It is painful for us when you are facing these kinds of problems and have no job, no money, and only freelancing is a HOPE. Hopefully, Fiverr will do the best for this community. 🥺

[inspiredemmz]

This is a heartwarming! Thanks Fiverr. I’m a professional content creator and editor, and the COVID-19 pandemic has been a nightmare. I’m new on Fiverr, though I have been editing and proofreading for over 17 years.

[markcvo]

Thanks!
And since so many of us are having to quarantine/self-isolate/shelter-in-place, how about shortening the impound time on our funds. Many of us are being layed-off or otherwise deprived of our income from our jobs during this time. It would be a great gesture, and much needed stimulus, to all of us who help make this a great platform.

[antseverafter95]

This COVID-19 Badly impact on my sales. I didn’t get any order from last 25 days. So we can say that this deadly virus harms the both physical and remote work. It’s a worst nightmare for freelancers when they didn’t get even a single order for a long time.

[nextair]

It really came from nowhere and have Global impact.If offline businesses hurt then it will definitely have an impact on online businesses as well.Hope things will get better very soon.

[miiila]

Hi Matt @mjensen415,

Actually, there is something Fiverr could do to help its seller freelancer community in a direct and probably not too complicated way (a bit of coding and sending out automated emails, I think).

As it’s possible that some of us may have to apply for government funds or a mortgage respite, prove to their health insurance that they don’t earn much or at all due to this pandemic to not have to keep paying their monthly dues based on last year’s earnings/tax declaration, etc.,
a “paper” (email) from Fiverr stating the seller’s revenue for any given month could be more helpful and get less suspicious looks than that csv file one can download. Staff in such organisations often don’t know much if anything about freelancing or at least platforms like Fiverr/the gig economy, too, and often ask for “something official”.

Something that looks credible and official, with Fiverr’s address and such, that states something like:
XY is registered on our platform as a freelancer and earned $$$ revenue in (February 2020).

I’m sure Fiverr has people who can make sure that that “revenue statement” will be fine from a legal standpoint for Fiverr.

This has been already suggested before COVID-19, as something like that, especially as a yearly statement, would be really useful for tax and other purposes, but I think in the face of the current situation, it might just have become even more relevant.

I hope this can be considered/passed on to the relevant people. Thanks!

[mic_explainer]

@mjensen415 may God protect us all
Basically what we can do to help ourselves is to avoid touching ourselves like shaking hands or hugging we should maintain some distance.

On the financial aspects, not everybody is financially buoyant as all fingers ain’t equal, during this lockdown, some staying at home doesn’t benefit them those that are financially fit should help out.

[darrendesign]

I believe that online platforms are the future of successful business and for sure many of us who have a opportunity to work from home in these days feels more protected and safe, thanks to fiverr for making this real for us, but there is many others who can’t work online like bake a bread online so staying at home I start to think more about how to help people without earning money on that just for nothing do a good thing but what if all people will start think about how to help each other? what then the earth will give us? what are the consequences then? I saw people who buy a tones of food but after throw them away because they get soured. We need to be more careful about each other and use as much as we need because there is other people like us, let’s just help each other.

[thecontentpros]

It’s tough reading this thread starting from a month ago before it was as bad as it is now. Just 3 days ago the US was at 200,000 cases, and today we are at 300,000. The exponential growth is crazy and we aren’t even close to the peak yet.

[rosebarlow]

Many thanks. This looks very interesting. Let me know if you would like any proofreading/editing done (for free of course 😉).