How your business can stay open when your doors have to close
We learned our lessons, now what?
2020 taught everyone a few valuable lessons. Some were harsh wakeup calls and others extremely positive. On one hand we learned just how fragile our local economies can truly be. On the other, we figured out that there is boundless resilience in community. Now that we have started a new year and there seems to be some light at the end of the tunnel, it is time to start planning for what comes after the pandemic that changed our collective realities. It is time to get prepared so that our businesses are ready for anything. From one small business owner to another, we have to rethink our strategies and work to ensure that, no matter what happens, we can stay open.
In order to do this, it is crucial that we plan to adapt. If you have to close your brick and mortar location, how do you continue to serve your customers? If you can no longer deliver in-person services, what alternatives do you have? These are the types of questions you need to answer for your business. That said, we wanted to put together this post to provide some ideas of what you can do to get started.
Start selling products and services online
This, too, may seem like an obvious suggestion. Without a doubt delivering goods and services to your customers is a great way to stay open if you have to shut down your physical location. That is how many businesses have been able to survive the pandemic. But what do you do if personal interaction is part of your business? Depending on what you do for a living, this can be a simple or complex answer. Because it would take much more than one blog post to provide industry specific advice, let's settle on this: start thinking about how technology can help you achieve the same results as an in-person appointment. If you need certain information to provide an estimate, can that be done online? Is there a way to deliver your services via video call software like Zoom or Google Meet? These are the types of questions that offer a great starting point. As always, we would be happy to help you build a strategy.
Reinvent your delivery
This, too, may seem like an obvious suggestion. Without a doubt delivering goods and services to your customers is a great way to stay open if you have to shut down your physical location. That is how many businesses have been able to survive the pandemic. But what do you do if personal interaction is part of your business? Depending on what you do for a living, this can be a simple or complex answer. Because it would take much more than one blog post to provide industry specific advice, let's settle on this: start thinking about how technology can help you achieve the same results as an in-person appointment. If you need certain information to provide an estimate, can that be done online? Is there a way to deliver your services via video call software like Zoom or Google Meet? These are the types of questions that offer a great starting point. As always, we would be happy to help you build a strategy.
Look for outside advice
If this all sounds intimidating, that is because it is. Navigating the new world we live in has presented everyone with new challenges, on top of the difficulties local businesses already face. Don't worry, helping businesses like yours modernize and plan for the future is the entire reason we exist. Our team would be happy to hear about your businesses, learn about the challenges you face and work to develop strategies to ensure that you are prepared for anything.
Contact us today to learn more about these services and how we can work together!

