Lean In To Those Changes

We know that COVID-19 is all that is being talked about right now. We’ve been in touch with many business owners and our focus is keeping your attention focused on what you can control.

Small business owners do more with less every single day. They are innovators. They solve problems. They figure things out. We’re hitting pause on our newsletter to bring you a tip each week as your business deals with COVID-19.

The good news is these will be short. They will be practical. They will help you improve your business, not just in response to current events, but long term.

This Weeks Tip: “Necessity is the mother of invention” – Plato

As the world continues to work through COVID-19 one thing is clear: What worked yesterday, may not work today. The innovations we are seeing currently in businesses are rapid and happening out of pure necessity. Business owners are reconnecting to the entrepreneurial spirit that propelled them into business.

While some business owners are reassessing their business models, most all are finding that processes or “ways of working” that worked when co-workers were officing a few steps away, don’t work so well when you’re no longer in the same building.

What we know is that work will be altered by this. In some cases, temporarily. In other cases, it could change your business, for the better, forever.

For many, the last few weeks have been all about reaction. Reacting to what you need to do to keep doors open. To keep business flowing. To figure this out. 

As the new “interim-normal” settles in it’s time to start thinking proactively ahead about how your business needs have changed. We know it’s difficult, but we challenge you to stop and assess your business in the next few days. Create a quadrant that includes 4 business categories:

In each quadrant, write out your current frustrations and headaches around that category. What isn’t working with the current state of business? Once you’ve identified the issues that need to be solved, take them on one at a time. We know it’s a lot, but you KNOW how to do this. As a business owner, you solve problems every day. Just take it one step at a time.

Your business will change from this current situation, but if you focus on the design it doesn’t have to be a negative change. We are already seeing many positives come from this business disruption. You get to decide if your business will become more efficient and effective as a result of the need to innovate. If your business is paying employees to stay home, get them involved! Unleash your entrepreneur and leverage the opportunity to make sustainable changes in how you do business.