19/04/2020
If the world was to open again tomorrow would you be ready??
Hold on tight as this is a bit of a long post but it’s my way of trying to help you. I know, as a small business owner myself, that times are really tough right now. The information being provided and the world as we know it is constantly changing. Many business owners, including myself, are feeling down right now but are there things you can be doing?
1. Make a list of things you could be doing. I’m not a fan of lists but I made one and this post was on it so they obviously work.
2. Take a good hard look at the business you had before this virus. Could your website be better? Is there a better/cheaper supplier out there? Could the products you offer be improved or changed to suit this new world? Is there a popular product you used to sell that you don’t anymore, why? What are your competitors doing? You literally have the whole world at your fingertips in the form of the internet, use it!!
3. What are your competitors doing right now? Are they still advertising on social media? Being visible now means you’ll be at the front of potential customers minds when the scrabble for work starts again.
4. How are your existing customers? Have you asked them? I’m sure they would love to hear from you, even if it’s just to say Hi and let them know that you are still there if they need anything or if they would like to make a booking/order in the future once the lockdown has finished. You can start collating a list of people interested in your service so that when you can work again you are not starting from scratch as you have already made a list of guaranteed customers to get booked in.
5. Could you retrain to offer something different? So many companies are offering online courses for people on lockdown at home. Even if you decide to do a course that is in no way related to your industry it will help keep your mind focused on something other than which series to watch next on Netflix.
6. Is there a product you have always wanted to offer but never had the time to investigate it properly? There is no better time than now. If you don’t know where to get started then have a trawl through You Tube, I can pretty much guarantee you that whatever you want to do someone will have made a video of it and posted it online.
7. Catch up on your paperwork. I know it’s probably your least favourite thing but we have now completed another tax year. Your accountant or bookkeeper will thank you for adding some kind of order to your invoices and receipts.
8. If you’ve got this far down the list then your business may be down but definitely not out. This really is a perfect time to step back, reflect and refresh your business, you can survive this and be a much better, streamlined and profitable business on the other side. I am here and happy to help in whatever way I can.
Claire Owen MICB
Magnolia VA Services