When COVID-19 swept across the globe in early 2020, it sent small businesses into a tailspin. Seemingly overnight, doors closed, orders dried up, and customers disappeared. According to an economic impact report published by Yelp in September, 60% of the businesses currently noted as “closed” on the platform will not be reopening.

But for those businesses that have continued to survive — and even thrive — the lifeline that has largely kept them afloat over the past several months has been supporting each other.

Working together has helped many small business owners weather this unparalleled time. Small businesses across a variety of industries are sharing leads, offering advice and encouragement, swapping skills, cross-promoting each other’s work, and, most importantly, building a sense of community among peers in place of competition. What they’ve learned over the past several months offers a blueprint for a more resilient, more collaborative small business ecosystem — even in a post-pandemic world.

From boutique shops to dance classes, small business owners work across every industry, but many share similar struggles, concerns, and questions. “I was on a call early in the pandemic, and someone said, ‘There’s got to be a way for us to swap skills and help each other.’ And I thought, ‘Yes, there has,” said Rachel Hayward, one of six co-founders of Derby Swap Shop, an online skill-swapping marketplace that launched May 4. With a free account, users can ask for specific services they need, such as having a press release written or review of a LinkedIn profile.

To date, Derby Swap Shop has had 90 posted swaps with noted success. “We’ve had people who have swapped and gone on to have great exposure, increased turnover into their business, and paid work for each of them,” Hayward said.

Read the full article about collaboration among small businesses by JoAnna Haugen at Shareable.