The COVID-19 pandemic has upended what most of us would call normal day to day business. The new sense of normal has forced every business in the world to shift the ways in which it caters to its clients and customers, and many businesses were not able to make it work before being forced to close for good. Unfortunately, many of these businesses were beloved places like local restaurants and shops, so to see them go was not only scary for the fate of our local economy, but sad as many of these were beloved family businesses.
With the world changing rapidly around us, business owners are having to come up with business resiliency plans and strategies to know how they’re going to accommodate rapid change should it arise. These strategies can be anything from having a plan of action in case of an emergency, to an infrastructure that allows your business to conduct its day to day operations while maintaining social distancing. Here are some tips below for ways to streamline your COVID-19 and other business resiliency strategies into the future.
Take note of opportunities
Look for ways that you can innovate within your own industry. Rapid change can be terrifying, but it also provides great opportunities for growth in ways you never would have imagined before. If you’re a storefront business or restaurant, look into ways that you can offer e-commerce or delivery options to people in your own area and beyond. Many places, like popular bakeries and restaurants, have started selling goods online that can be shipped domestically in the United States.
Take advantage of social media and learn how you can grow your clientele online without ever having to have someone step foot into your business. This will act as a valuable marketing tool while enabling you to be creative with your business in finding new opportunities. Similarly, your customers’ needs may have changed amid the pandemic, so being able to anticipate what their needs are now will help you transition into a successful future.
Reduce Cost
There are likely lots of ways that you can reduce cost in your business without reducing quality. Look for ways to streamline your operations in a way that allows you to work smarter, not harder, and save money on the cost of running your business while you’re at it. You should do this at least once a year to revisit how you did things before and how you can change them in the future to make things easier and more time and cost effective in the future.
