Single mom might lose restaurant after flu bout
Last Updated: Monday, November 23, 2009 | 1:40 PM MT
CBC News
Liz Stanley had to close her restaurant for a month after getting the flu and pneumonia. (CBC) A single mother who recently realized her dream of opening a vegetarian restaurant could lose the business after a serious case of the flu.
Liz Stanley opened Up the Road restaurant on 17th Avenue S.E. on May 22 with the help of Momentum, a non-profit agency that helps low-income Calgarians get loans, manage money and start businesses.
Opening a restaurant had always been Stanley's dream, she said. When her plans finally started coming together, she was pregnant and looking after a toddler.
"It was difficult," Stanley said. "I gave birth, and then went for my loan interview the next day, pretty much."
Flu fells entrepreneur
On Oct. 24, Stanley got the flu, and a week later, she ended up in the hospital for a day with pneumonia. She was too sick to return to work, and her part-time employee couldn't run the business alone, so she was forced to close.
At the time, Alberta was experiencing the second wave of swine flu. Stanley was prescribed the antiviral drug Tamiflu, but she was told she only had the seasonal flu.
After almost a month with no income and an eight-month-old and 2 ½-year-old at home, she is struggling to keep her business and personal finances afloat. She says she is looking for a small loan, not a handout.
'She has exhausted every avenue for herself to help her get her through this financially.'—Selena Murillo
"I'm going to be trying to think of ways of how I can get out of this," she said. "Somebody like me, I don't own a house. I didn't have any other means. If I fall on hard times, I am basically it. And I am also a single mother so it is that much harder."
Stanley said she hopes to re-open her restaurant on Tuesday.
Selena Murillo, a women's business development case worker with Momentum, is trying to help Stanley cover her bills and keep the restaurant open.
"She has exhausted every avenue for herself to help her get her through this financially," said Murillo. "So, that's everything from going to Alberta Works for some income support – which unfortunately did not work out for her – to selling personal effects so that she can make some money to get through this."
A spokesperson for the province said Alberta doesn't have any programs to help small business owners who get ill.
The Calgary Chamber of Commerce has created a guide for small businesses on planning for problems such as flu outbreaks.
"Small businesses should definitely consider lining up credit or a contingency fund in the event they do have to close their doors," said Ben Brunnen, manager of policy and research.
