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Let’s face it. The pandemic has changed everything. From our daily social activities to how businesses operate. The world is not what it used to be and it’s something that’s going to be with us for a long time (Quite possibly forever).
During all the ups and downs, small businesses (Regardless of the industry) got hit pretty hard.
Especially the hospitality and travel industry. Which were literally shutdown due to everyone staying home.
Although businesses in the digital and health space seem to be doing okay, the rest of the industries are also slowly making their way up.
If you are a business owner and about to go back, here are some tips that may help you speed up your own recovery process.
Think Ahead
The pandemic has really pushed businesses to either die or innovate immediately. Some have managed to dodge the bullet (Like clothing manufacturers pivoting to making face masks, etc.) but the ones that didn’t, are simply not around anymore.
So if there is one lesson that we can all take from current events you must think and plan about how your business will look like in the next 5-10 years. What’s going to happen? How will the demographics change? What will you be offering then? How will you manage your cash flow moving forward? Things like that.
Basically, you need to have a plan for each year and a proper strategy in place. If one thing we can all learn from Covid-19 is how to plan better.
Get organized and start creating systems. You already are aware of this if you are a business owner but if you are not, you better get right to it.
Plan ahead, have contingency plans and prepare for various scenarios. That’s the game now.
Be Patient
Just cause you are back in business, doesn’t mean everyone else is as well. Especially your customers. They are also going through a lot in most cases so don’t expect them to come rushing back.
Some are still not sure if vaccines still work and a large percentage of people think this whole Covid-19 thing is a scam.
So open your doors but be patient with it all. It will take some time to get your people back. Of course this depends on the store, your relationships with your customers and the industry itself but something to keep in mind.
Perhaps think about doing a “soft” opening or operating at half capacity. So you can keep your costs down and slowly build things up from there.
In due time, looks like it’s already happening by the way, your store should be at full capacity fairly soon. So just be patient and use this time to make your own internal systems faster and better organized.
Be Kind
If there is one thing we can all learn from what is going on is how connected we all are. If one industry doesn’t do well, it has a ripple effect on literally everything else. Not only that, Covid-19 has shown how we are all literally part of each other’s lives. Especially on an individual basis.
So as you get your business up and running, try something new. Try to think about the other person or even the organization that you are dealing with in a more conscious way. Not as just someone who ‘buys’ from you or someone you just ‘sell’ to.
Try to get more involved, make your existing connections deeper and really get in touch with whomever you come along with.
Whether it’s in your business or out.
Finally, always listen to your gut. Other people’s opinions are just their life experiences. At the end of the day, what matters is what “you” feel is right.
In fact, if there is one thing we can recommend, is moving forward, try to shift your focus towards how you feel about things vs what the media, the news, or even this article (Ironic right?) is trying to share with you.
You have all the answers within you, and just like before, you will do it again.
