Covid-19 took us all by surprise. Our daily way of life shifted seemingly overnight, and it’s left us with many uncertainties. Will my kids go back to school, or will distance learning continue? Will I need to wear a mask for several more weeks, months or even years? We don’t have those answers yet. In the meantime, we have no choice but to adjust to this new way of life.
Those of us who have brick and mortar businesses, have additional challenges. We need to adjust and prepare a safe environment for our customers and staff. We also need to think about things like paying our bills and trying to keep a steady flow of customers and sales while certain things are not in our control. Once this is established to the best of our abilities, there is one more important thing we should think about. What’s the best use of our time relating to our business, while the business has slowed?
I think of Covid-19 not just a pandemic, but also as an opportunity. It’s a pause in our day to day small business way of life, which allows the opportunity to re-evaluate how we run the business. If times are currently slow, it’s a good time to plan for the future. How should we use this extra time? It could be a time to update your store layout, or rebuild or improve your website. Maybe learn something new like how to add an e-commerce element to your business which doesn’t rely on walk-in traffic.
If you spend some of your time focusing on future improvements, there’s a great chance your future self with thank you.