The results of the 2020-2021 Nevada Small Business Development Center client survey show that Nevada small businesses are still struggling significantly with staffing, supply chains and COVID-related issues.

Out of the small businesses surveyed, 40.1% of participants claimed they have experienced a negative impact on staffing, while 72.2% claimed they have had negative impacts on their supply chains. Additionally, 62.3% of Nevada small businesses surveyed say they are still experiencing issues related to COVID-19 two years after the start of the global pandemic. These results clearly show that small businesses in Nevada need continued assistance and have a long way to go to return to normalcy.

According to the survey results, which captured responses from March 2020 through December 2021, the industries most severely affected by supply chain and COVID-related issues are accommodation, restaurants, manufacturing, professional services and science/technical services. Issues related to staffing most affected administrative services, waste management, professional, technical and science services, as well as accommodation and food service.

Briana Wagner, president of Schussboom Brewing in Reno, has struggled with many of these issues in relation to her own business.

“The biggest COVID-19 related issues we are still experiencing are employees getting any kind of illness or COVID and then being out for 5 to 10 days,” Wagner said. “We have maintained our COVID compliance and keep employees home as to not spread illness, but being shorthanded adds stress to those employees who can cover shifts or work extra hours.”

“With COVID-19 and supply chain issues still causing problems throughout the economy, it’s a good time for small business owners to turn toward their local and national resource networks for possible solutions,” Jake Carrico, Northern Nevada regional manager at the Nevada SBDC, said. “In addition, business owners might consider exploring memberships in their respective industry associations where association members may have already discovered solutions or work-arounds to the problems they’re facing.”

The Nevada SBDC, hosted by the College of Business at the University of Nevada, Reno and supported by the U.S. Small Business Administration, has offered no-cost and confidential professional advising services to Nevada small businesses since 1985.

Nevada SBDC clients are advised by professionals who utilize their educational and business experience to provide practical, relevant advice to small business owner and prospective small business owners. Advising services include marketing, accounting and record keeping, loan applications, new business start-up, capital formation, technology development assistance, business planning and much more. Approximately 98% of all firms in Nevada are considered small businesses and therefore qualify for Nevada SBDC advising services.

To request no-cost, confidential small business advising from the Nevada SBDC, visit the Nevada Small Business Development Center online.