Recommendations to Entrepreneurs and Small Businesses a Context for Small and Medium Enterprises in the New Normal

The aim of this paper is to provide recommendations to entrepreneurs and small businesses emanating from the coronavirus disease – 19 (COVID-19) pandemic experience. The motive of this paper was based on how, during the COVID-19 pandemic entrepreneurs were confronted with the need to adjust to a changing economic climate. On the one hand, entrepreneurs were tasked with directing their businesses away from bankruptcy, while, on the other hand, had to deal with a pressing need to keep their businesses afloat in an environment marked by low discretionary income and customer uncertainty. These challenges were exacerbated by the lack of pragmatic business recommendations crafted to assist small business entrepreneurs in surviving business challenges which then prompted this inquiry. A conceptual approach was employed to review extant literature in the domain of entrepreneurship, while a philosophical inquiry was made with entrepreneurship scholars in business, to gain perspective into the lessons experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. The procedure of inquiry was guided by the dictates of an exploratory research design. The derived insights show that in the new normal, entrepreneurs must be elastic to change and unexpected shocks, embrace the possibilities offered by digitalization, prioritize inclusiveness, and focus on creating sustainable growth through diversification.