What now?

We are now 11 months into the coronavirus pandemic. We are tired. Worn out. Scared. Numbed. We have learned how to isolate, quarantine, and stay six feet away from other people. We have picked out a favorite mask. Not much has gotten easier, but things have certainly become routine. And while we have become accustomed to these new things, we are all still impatiently waiting for that moment when they blow the whistle and tell everyone that we can come out now! 

So where is your business in all of this? It probably looks at least a little different from how it did this time last year. Some of you may not be allowed to open. Some of you are open and doing things very differently from how you used to. Some are very close to business as usual but your customers’ needs are different. 

In this month’s blog, I wanted to talk about the business climate we find ourselves in and list some ways that you can continue being in business while also taking advantage of any new opportunities the pandemic has opened up.

Business (almost) as usual

For those of you whose businesses are fully remote, or mostly remote, you may not be noticing much change. If you were already communicating with your clients and customers remotely, then moving into the pandemic wasn’t that much of a change. However, what has changed is your customers’ wants and needs. Everyone is dealing with new experiences and new ways of doing things. You need to make sure that you are meeting these new needs urgently and with compassion. Your customers are still as nervous and unsure of things as everyone is. Find out what their new needs are and do your best to meet them. 

Open but doing things differently

Some businesses are open, but just barely. Businesses such as restaurants, hair salons, and doctors’ offices have had to vastly change their way of operating. Those of you in these industries are working hard to keep up the level of service your customers were used to. “Pivot” has become the word you live by. You are exhausted in addition to being nervous and scared. My advice to you is just to hang in there. Keep imagining new ways of doing business and get creative at meeting your customers’ needs. 

Not open

If your business has not been allowed to reopen, or if you’ve made the very difficult decision to close your business, now is the time to significantly reimagine things. Some industries will come back eventually (I know my husband and I have mentally planned several vacations!).

Some will come back but in an entirely different form. This pandemic, while disallowing many of our favorite activities, has also opened up many new opportunities. People’s wants and needs are totally different from what they were pre-pandemic. A good business identifies a need and works to meet that need. If there is one thing as entrepreneurs that we are good at, it is figuring out the needs of our customers and working to meet those needs. So don’t give up hope. Even if your original business model is no longer possible, there are new opportunities popping up every day. 

No matter what phase your business is in if you need to talk some ideas over with someone, give me a call or send me an email. I hope you will also sign up for my monthly newsletter, which gives insights into bookkeeping for your small business.