No matter if you’re an entrepreneur or a small business company, one thing is that we all experience an interruption in our businesses because of Covid-19. Only a tiny percentage of businesses, this extraordinary change is positive for their company, whereas many aren’t as fortunate.
We are seeing increasing numbers of businesses suffering the emotional and negative consequences from the viral outbreak that has turned the company and its employees ‘ lives around. It is now our responsibility to be able to manage our lives and our businesses through the time when life is thrown off.
In the helicopter training, trainees are required to participate in an underwater survival program that simulates being submerged underwater and must locate ways to escape from the helicopter. As air bubbles rise up to the surface, the participants must be able to follow the bubbles and then return back to the surface to get air to be able to survive.
Many businesses are in a state of financial ruin due to the pandemic and are trying to turn around and to survive.
Like many other entrepreneurs, I, too, have been through a variety of emotions and thoughts on how I can run my business during these challenging times. I’ve had days where I’m euphoric over the free time to work on new projects or to learn something new. There are times I’m frustrated, depressed at times, confused, and wonder what the future will bring and how to be able to get through this.
Then I remembered a quote my grandfather would say to my mother. He would advise her not to worry about the future, as tomorrow will never arrive because tomorrow will be today.
The thought of that quote provided me with a fresh perspective as well as the energy needed to take a deep breath, take a deep breath, and follow the bubbles, and then kick as hard as I could until I reached the surface.
With a breath of fresh air inside my lung and a clear and clear mind, I’d like to discuss with you a few things I’m taking to help keep my mind focused on the mindset that “this too shall pass and I’m prepared for when it comes.
Examine your current strategies and alter them if you feel it’s necessary.
In Q4 of the year, I introduced a new strategy for prospecting that I implemented using LinkedIn, which was growing in popularity. We unobtrusively asked for a connection and a later follow-up that was non-sales. We saw positive outcomes. The process has been put in limbo.
I’m convinced that at the moment, people aren’t seeking connections for business reasons. Business connections aren’t at the forefront of their minds currently. They’re looking for that human connection that we offer. We are therefore making use of LinkedIn to use the LinkedIn platform in order to offer an opportunity and motivation to other people to lift them up so that they can take the breath of fresh air.
Everything I do in the area of the business’s operations and marketing has to be analyzed and reviewed to assess its value in the present turbulence. If it isn’t a good fit or doesn’t contribute value to the company or our customers, it’s time to be changed to something that is deemed to be appropriate.
Avoid the Analysis Paralysis
In my field of speaking, training, and consulting that required working with small and large groups of individuals, it was inevitable that the business was going to slow.
Even so, I would still head to work and contemplate what I should change and then work. As the months passed, I watched as people around the globe began having their first bouts from the disease. The number of cases grew so fast that my focus shifted away from my usual work routine to one of the questions: What’s happening?
I was consumed by thoughts about what I should and should not be doing? How much can I afford to keep this person, that program, or the app? Should I venture out, or should I stay inside? Do I have enough food available? Are my family members safe in a different country? If I cough or sneeze every now and then, is it a sign that I am sick? How long will my cash last?
I glanced up and realized that I’d spent all week focusing on it to the point that I did nothing: Nada, zilch, zero.
As I realized what had happened, I stopped and shut off everything that was going on around me. I was quiet and asked myself, what would I do differently if this chaos wasn’t happening? What is the best way to run my business in the low-key holiday season or any other periods of lulls for my business?
It was because I still woke up and went to work and continued working on projects that I could never seem to find enough time for.
By allowing myself to be in the state of reflection and reflection, I was able to be able to take a close look at what was happening and ask myself some crucial questions like:
How do I keep being in service to my local business community?
What should I do differently, and what can stay the same?
What’s the most efficient way to spend my time?
What can I do to protect my family and me in this challenging period?
How can I help my community?
What are the best ways I can stay focused and focused on my job?
Being able to identify my priorities has provided me with an idea of where I am going. I can look for bubbles, take a breath and start working.
Check out the things you are doing and not do
It doesn’t matter how large the company is; cash flow is vital to the success of the business. First, you must assess the situation. Review what you have now at your bank and not what you expect to bring in, as there could be delays in the processing of payments.
Consider how long your cash will last. Determine the things you do and don’t require to keep your company operational. When prospecting was pushed further to the bottom of the priority list, it was decided to suspend all Google AdWords campaigns temporarily.
Try to ensure that your staff members or virtual Assistants are working. Be aware that they, too, have to provide for their families and maintain their roofs over their heads.
My first response was to do the opposite in order to keep cash flowing. However, when I considered the implications on their lives after having put myself in their shoes, I instantly changed my mind regarding this.
This is a fun detail about the choice. I was suddenly inspired. It created a sense of motivation within me. It required me to refocus and formulate an action plan for what I could do right away that would help my business. I feel empowered now that I know what I’m going to do to assist other people in the coming weeks, days, and months.
Plan your immediate family and your distant family
At close to the beginning of January when covid-19 landed on the shores of Singapore and, within two weeks, the virus had risen to the point where the nation increased levels of the DORSCON amount to orange. That evening was when my husband and I realized it was time to take a serious look at how this virus could affect our companies and our finances, as well as the food supply in our tiny country.
In the following days, we analyzed our finances and took inventory of our medications and food items stored in our pantry. We came up with our family’s strategy of action. Being an Army brat, I remember how my father would instruct us to keep a cash stash’ in the event in the event of an emergency. The advice consisted of taking $100 to convert into 100 $1 bills in order to have smaller bills in the event that stores accepted only cash, but no change for big bills.
We also started an online chat group for our family to keep in contact with one another at a moment’s notice.
When the strategy was set, I was able to feel that I could catch my breath before getting moving forward the best way I could, for me to return to work and get back to living.
Take a break from the news.
I’m sure you’ve heard about this one before. This is the perfect time to be aware, and you must tap into what’s happening within your local community as well as all over the world.
It is suggested that you don’t spend more than a few minutes each morning and in the evening listening to the news or reading it. It’s easy to be swept in the same water, where you are unable to breathe, and the state of anxiety begins every time. If this happens, simply keep a close eye on the bubbles.
It was the case that technology was swiftly changing the world. It’s now a virus that is invisible that is transforming our world on a daily basis. However, when we look for the bubbles, we will discover the way to the surface, take in fresh air into our lungs, and let our minds go, and you can start your new day with a fresh outlook and right-side up.