Mountain Creatives

This is a very unique time that we are living in. In my many years, I would not have thought that anything like this could have happened. So do I think that I have the magic answer for growing or surviving this crisis? In short “no.” What I do have is ideas and strategies that have worked when times were tough and this would surely qualify as tough times. COVID 19 has rapidly changed the business environment. We as business owners need to find new ways to grow and survive COVID 19.

Each day we wake up with renewed hope that this too shall pass. We are weathering a crazy storm and we are not coming out unscathed. But hope remains among all else and as Christopher Reeve said, “Once you choose hope, anything’s possible.”

These are just some of the many tips for surviving COVID 19 and this crazy time. We specialize in helping small businesses grow and succeed, whether it is with operations, marketing or business planning. Contact us to see how we can help.

1) Cut expenses – by now many of you have already cut your expenses, hopefully, you have not laid off any employees. Is there any way that you can have your employees working from home? By cutting expenses look at things like office space? With everyone working from home can you reduce your overhead by moving into a smaller space? The key is to reduce but not kill your business.

2) Spend money on marketing – Now is the time to ensure that you are getting the word out for your product or service. It is said that a customer needs to see an ad 7 times before they will act on it. Now it will most likely be even more times before someone acts. We are all feeling hesitant to do anything, but spending money on advertising will ensure that you have more work when things get back to normal.

Is your website up to date? Have you worked on your Search Engine Optimization? These are just some of the marketing things that you can do with this time. We want your company to be first on the search engine list when people look for your product or service. For this to happen organically this takes time. Update your blog, write on your social media get links from past and current customers. Get reviews from previous customers.

3) Invest in your employees – Now is a great time to get that training in that will help your company. Have them take that safety class that they have been putting off or that Excel class that will help with their job. Good employees want to grow and learn now is that time. It shows that you are committed to them and you have a vision for the future.

4) Pivot if you need to – With this ever-changing market your company may need to pivot to grow and survive. Is there a way to offer another product that is currently in demand? Maybe your business can provide its product or services more remotely than you thought. Maybe a brand repositioning is even in order. If you’re able to capitalize on this now, then when quarantine lifts you may have an entirely new revenue stream to leverage or a whole new business pathway.

5) Communicate – This is such a broad topic, you need to communicate with your team, your current customers and get the word out to potential customers. Talking with your team will help them know that you are still working on driving the business. When employees see that you are not at the wheel of the company they will not show up as well. Now is the time that you need them the most. Let them know what you are doing and planning.

Communicating with your current customers is vital to keeping up that great reputation. Send out an email or post to your social media pages to let everyone know that you are still working on current projects. Use your social media to keep up that positivity. Many people are stuck at home and find themselves with extra time on their hands and are on social media, use it to your advantage.

Being your own boss has its many challenges this may be the biggest one that you will ever face, but you took that step into being a business owner and that was super scary. Now we will take the next steps to continue to grow and survive after this crisis. If you need more help or need to talk, you can contact us we are here for you.

We are currently working with several businesses during this crisis to find ways to survive and grow.