The year 2020 has been a grueling year and will be recorded in the history books for some very unfortunate reasons. Businesses and industries are being turned upside down and people are spinning. We all find ourselves fighting to regain balance and gather some sense of control.
Amid all the change, there are some things that have remained the same. Evaluating what has changed while also clinging to the fixed variables of your business is important as you surface from the chaos.
4 Areas of your Business that Were Likely Impacted by COVID-19
COVID-19 was like a boulder that plummeted down a mountain, destroying whatever lay in its path. Businesses were forced to evaluate and change within days of the stay-at-home order and the pivots began immediately. Here are a few elements of your business that may have required change:
Marketing strategy – A marketing strategy ultimately focuses on your future by implementing specific actions in the present. Your company likely tweaked or completely uprooted the implementation of your marketing strategy, which included where you marketed and how you communicated with your consumers.
Customer’s buying habits – Maybe your customers cancelled or delayed services due to uncertain financial situations. People found themselves googling “how to make hand sanitizer” and “where to find facemasks” – two things they had probably never searched before. During this transition, you had to reevaluate your customer’s buying habits … What do they need? How do I give it to them?
Interaction with team – When the stay-at-home order swept the nation, companies began working from home instead of in the office. You no longer ran into each other at the coffee maker or collaborated on a project around a table. But, interacting with your team was still a must to ensure productivity and connectedness. At M&R, our team put a Zoom meeting directly into our weekly calendar so we can talk business and stay connected on a personal level.
Services – Your services likely pivoted when COVID-19 surfaced. With a social distancing rule in place, you had to reevaluate how to perform your services with safety at the forefront of your actions. You may have even created new service lines as the demand for others decreased.
The Core Areas of your Business Still Remain
During such a fragile season in your company’s life, it’s pivotal to cling to the things that never change. These are intangible and are the heartbeat of your company, such as:
Core values – Who you are at the core hasn’t change. You still have the same mission and vision for your company, but maybe it’s executed differently now.
Work ethic – When COVID-19 reared its ugly head, you put the pedal to the metal and discovered what your team is made of. Everything you worked so hard to build and sustain was on the line. As a business leader, you put in the hard work to keep your business afloat and your team employed.
Commitment – Your commitment to your team, clients, and community doesn’t change. Whether a pandemic is present or not, you need them amid all the chaos. Your loyalty to them will produce a harvest in due time and their support of you will lift you above the rest.
As you focus on change and continue to adapt how you do business in this new landscape, don’t forget to filter those decisions through the lens of what hasn’t change – your values, your work ethic, and your support team.
10 Beliefs that Haven’t Changed for Us
For M&R, there are 10 beliefs we hold close no matter the obstacles, and we’ve fought to maintain those amid the uncertainty and pivots.
- Luck doesn’t exist, but grace does
- Relationships are everything
- Processes help you scale
- Be proactive, not reactive
- Work like heck
- Build a team of advisors
- Be you, not someone else
- Always do what’s right, even when it hurts
- Ask why before you ask how
- Embrace delegation
What about for you? What are your unchangeables … the things that you won’t compromise on? And are you using those to guide your decision making on the things that have changed?