---
title: "Omicron Variant Worrying Small Business Owners"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/65fb7efb-6ed3-4ec7-8730-264fb07d566c
source: "Franchising.com"
original_url: https://www.franchising.com/articles/omicron_variant_worrying_small_business_owners.html
author: "Kerry Pipes"
category: "General"
published: 2021-12-14T09:00:00.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T02:13:24.833Z
image: https://imgs.franchising.com/art/articles/6426_plate.jpg
---

# Omicron Variant Worrying Small Business Owners

**TL;DR:** A survey of 5,632 small business owners by Alignable found that 44% are concerned about the Omicron variant affecting their economic recovery. The survey also found that minority business owners, women, and industries that rely on in-person business are particularly worried about Omicron.

*By Kerry Pipes, originally published in Franchising.com on 2021-12-14. [Read the original](https://www.franchising.com/articles/omicron_variant_worrying_small_business_owners.html).*

## Story

As if small business owners hadn’t already enough to worry about with the ongoing Covid pandemic, now comes the new Omicron variant. A survey of 5,632 small business owners taken last week by Alignable found that 44% are concerned about Omicron hurting their already-challenging economic recovery. Here are some other highlights from the research: The Omicron variant is even more daunting for disadvantaged groups including minority business owners: 69% of minorities polled expressed concern about Omicron affecting their recovery.

The majority of women who own small businesses (52%) felt the same way. Industries that rely on in-person business are also very worried about what Omicron might do; 70% in travel, 69% of restaurant owners, 68% of massage therapists, and 58% of retailers have expressed strong concerns. 60% of New York-based small business owners are nervous about Omicron, as well as 64% of those in Massachusetts, 57% in New Jersey, and 54% in Michigan.

States with small business owners that are not as concerned include Texas (38%), Colorado (37%), and North Carolina (37%). To help control the potential damage Omicron could cause, 40% say they’re increasing basic health protocols, 23% say they’re getting a booster shot, and 21% are investing more into marketing. You can view the complete results from Alignable's Omicron Pulse Poll here.

## Entities

- Franchising.com (publication)
- General (sector)
- texas (location)
- new york (location)
- north carolina (location)
- new jersey (location)
- Kerry Pipes (person)
- Colorado (location)
- michigan (location)
- massachusetts (location)
- Alignable (company)
- small business owners (topic)

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Originally reported by Kerry Pipes, Franchising.com (https://www.franchising.com/articles/omicron_variant_worrying_small_business_owners.html). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/65fb7efb-6ed3-4ec7-8730-264fb07d566c).