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Wales is entering another COVID-19 lockdown (as of October 23rd). Folks found this post helpful back in March, so I’m updating it with some new offers.

As small business owners in these dif­ficult times, we need to remember:

  • Adaptability is the small business advantage.
  • Negativity under­mines cre­ativity and planning.
  • Our fam­ilies and teams need to see con­fidence, not fear.
  • Stress under­mines the immune system. Breathe, and calm.
  • Mutual support, determ­in­ation and flex­ib­ility will win.
  • No entre­preneur sur­vives without being able to see hope in adversity. Silver linings may be a razor’s edge at times, but that’s where we find the silver.

Business Reality Check

Choose opportunityMany UK firms pan­icked at the first lockdown, fretting about remote working and scaling back on expenses. That was inev­itable, but as the saying goes, “This, too, shall pass”. We need to protect our health, but also prepare for recovery. So here’s how we can do the latter.

First, remember that cutting mar­keting is one of the worst things you can do in a recession panic. Doing so just reduces sales, making it harder to survive. You can’t grow by shrinking.

Second, how often have you longed for time to work on your business instead of just working in your business? Time to plan. Time to doc­ument pro­cesses. Even time to come up with new offerings. Lockdowns gave you that time. Don’t just focus on what gov­ernment support you can get. Use this oppor­tunity to refine your processes.

Even better, take this as a pause to pivot. Reinvent and ready your business for the recovery.

Turn Adversity Into Opportunity

There are many ways to do this, espe­cially online. After all, having tried remote work, many won’t go back to high office rents and long commute times. The economy just moved even more online, so you need to respond to that.

Some oppor­tun­ities, like online meetings, can help your business now. Others will help you prepare for recovery. Still others can be side pro­jects — espe­cially if your normal ser­vices have to be provided in person. Still, the bottom line here is:

If your business isn’t online already, you need to get it online now. Naturally, I’m doing what I can to help you achieve that — see my summary below.

Opportunities During the Coronavirus Lockdown

Keep Calm and Wash Your Hands

(click for a poster from the CDC)

There are too many options to list here, let alone detail them. Still, here are a few of the common ways to make money online.

  • Paid webinars, including: 
    • Courses
    • Online con­sultancy (one-to-one or in groups)
  • Membership sites, selling members-only content
  • E‑commerce, including:
    • Online ordering of your existing products
    • Drop-shipping
    • Affiliate sales
    • Downloadable products
  • E‑books and down­loadable courses
  • Product Review blogging
  • YouTube videos (espe­cially tutorials)

…and that’s just off the top of my head.

Even if you don’t feel these could apply to your business (or a new side-business), you could still gen­erate leads now for when you’re able to resume deliv­ering your ser­vices. Consider what you could offer as a (down­loadable) lead gen­erator for people signing up to hear when you’re resuming operations.

If you need more than leads right now, con­sider what you could offer to get advance bookings. Give people some­thing to look forward to. Help them feel better for getting ahead of the game when recovery happens. Delivery dates may have to be pro­vi­sional, and backed by a strong guar­antee, but a first-come-first-served approach usually works. A regular weekly email update on your estimated re-opening date could keep them reas­sured in the meantime.

How Can I Help You Through The Coronavirus Lockdown?

Let me know if you need a hand with planning or imple­menting any of ideas above, or dis­cussing any other web-based ideas.

I’m also offering a 10% lockdown dis­count from Friday, October 23rd 2020 until Sunday, November 8th 2020 on “SEO Plus” flexible digital mar­keting packages and Simple Websites. Please check those pages for more details.

Don’t fret — act!

Get in touch today!