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
Many 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.
(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.
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.
