Small business managers and Covid-19 – the role of a sense of coherence in coping with stressors Many businesses around the world are facing a significant impact from the Covid-19 pandemic, with the transport, tourism, and hospitality sectors being among the most affected. Compared to larger businesses, the effect on small businesses has generally been more severe due to their limited human, financial and technical resources. In addition, the degree of government financial aid, in combination with changes in the supply chain, may strongly affect the operations and survival of small businesses. The response of small business managers to an external event such as the pandemic can have a profound effect on the work environment, health, and well-being of themselves and their employees. Previous research on small business managers during the pandemic has mainly focused on traditional pathogenic effects, and there is a lack of studies looking at the issue from a salutogenic health promotion perspective. Aim of study The aim of the study was to explore whether a sense of coherence and general resistance resources were experienced by small business managers in Sweden and Norway during the Covid-19 pandemic. Methods A qualitative design was applied through exploratory interviews with 16 managers of small businesses in Sweden and Norway. The inclusion criteria were small businesses with less than 20 employees representing different types of services in the private sector. Further criteria were that the businesses were located in comparable geographic regions in Sweden and Norway. A content analysis of the interviews was conducted using the sense of coherence concept by Aaron Antonovsky, with the three main components of comprehensibility, meaningfulness, and manageability acting as a conceptual framework for the analysis process. Results Findings from the interviews demonstrated that it was important for the managers to comprehend and manage the challenges during the pandemic in a resourceful manner, and to see the meaningfulness in the situation. Within the three main sense-of-coherence categories, six general resistance resources were identified as being important for the managers to handle uncertainty during the pandemic. These were understanding rules and regulations, social support, optimism, proactivity, problem-solving and flexibility and cooperation. Conclusions The small business managers handled the pandemic in a way that worked well in their contexts, and the pandemic generally did not have a negative effect on their businesses or themselves. A salutogenic approach, through which the managers focused on identifying and using resources, was an important factor in managing stressors and adversity during the pandemic. Hence, the concept of salutogenesis may be used as an intervention to foster better health in small businesses, both at a personal and organisational level in order to handle future challenges effectively