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5 Tips to Strengthen your Business in a Time of Crisis

When thinking about how much our world has changed over the past few weeks, it is pretty crazy. Until very recently we were all so busy with our daily routine, and most of us went along feeling like we don’t have enough time to get to the things we really want to do, that our lives are running on “fast-forward” and if only there were a button to click for a brief moment of peace, to stop, rest, reflect, or do that thing we planned on doing but never found the time for, if only – then our life would play out perfectly. 

The famous saying “Be careful what you wish for” has been on my mind ever since this whole mess began. 

טיפים לחיזוק וביסוס העסק שלך בזמן משבר

Clearly, nobody wished for a pandemic on a global scale, for tens of thousands to die, for millions to lose their source of income, and for all of us to be confined to our homes and keep a distance from those we love most. We are clearly facing difficult, unfortunate challenges that none of us could have ever imagined we’d have to deal with. Challenges that will most definitely, in the long run, change the face of society and our world view. Though I do feel that subconsciously, we have received a gift wished by many – free time. Not only did we get free time, but we also got a pretty big amount, for an indefinite amount of time – an amount we’re not sure how to handle or maximize. 

In this post, I’d like to share some of my thoughts on the matter and suggest ideas to help you make the most of your time to strengthen your business. 

טיפים לחיזוק וביסוס העסק שלך בזמן משבר

Just like everyone else, I too, both personally and professionally, being an owner of my own brand, became anxious and confused by the new reality. Aside from my concerns about my own health and those closest to me, and the global, economic uncertainty, every job I had planned for the upcoming months was canceled or postponed until further notice, payments are being delayed, and the Gantt charts made months in advance are suddenly irrelevant. 

You could pretty much say that most of my plans disappeared into thin air, or like the famous saying goes “Man plans and God laughs”. 

The thing is that unlike employees that can somehow rely on the safety net provided by their country, small business and freelance brands aren’t entitled to such privilege.

As entrepreneurs, we have to fend for ourselves.  

When life changes so drastically, you need to look at things through a different lens. That applies just as much to your business.

טיפים לחיזוק וביסוס העסק שלך בזמן משבר

Chances are that the current situation has caused you to slow down your business or freeze your activity, and you’re probably worried that it won’t get through the storm, but allow me to suggest another perspective of the situation. The challenging conditions might actually lead you to think out of the box, develop in different directions, some you even feared just think about them. Maybe this storm – and after it’s gone – is the best thing for your business. After all, the most essential changes in our lives usually follow unfortunate challenging times or unfortunate circumstances. 

The future of your business is now entirely up to you. 

You are probably concerned about the future of your income (who isn’t these days…),  but the truth is, the safest thing right now is actually not playing it safe. Not to take the road which no longer seems to be working for you, rather take a leap of faith and try new ways. Gamble yourself and your business – invest wisely and enjoy the fruit in the future. 

So where to begin? Here are some ideas and tips to maximize your recent bundle of free time for the benefit of your business. 

1. Work *on* you business

Remember all the great ideas you had when you first started? Or those that come to mind while you’re taking a shower, or right before you fall asleep? Yeah, yeah, I'm talking about those you never have time to implement because you were too busy with your clients or with the everyday ongoing work there is to be done. Well, now is the time to bring these ideas to life. 

To begin, I suggest you do a little brainstorming and connect with all the possible things you could do to grow and develop your business. There’s no such thing as a bad idea – so just go for it and jot down your ideas on paper. It could be anything from launching a new product, starting a new blog, creating a community, rebranding, increasing your mailing list… and the list goes on!

Next, move on to a new piece of paper and prioritize your ideas. Which can really boost your business right now? Place the most effective ideas at the top of the list. 

Finally, select one or two top ideas and prepare a plan to take them into action, and help yourself to my time management guide.

2. Acquire new capabilities and skills that will upgrade your business in the future

Those of you who’ve been following me know how much time and money I have invested in my business over the past five years. The use of the word invest here is important, as opposed to “spend” or “waste”, since I always knew that each investment would pay itself back one way or another. I’ve never viewed my blog as a hobby and I believe this is why it has become the successful business it is today. To me, it is important to constantly learn and specialize in various areas that are relevant to my business – from blog management, through affiliate marketing, Pinterest, photography and more, because I know how important it is – especially for small businesses in the new world.

I am constantly reading people’s posts about how they want to start their own business or specialize in a certain field, and develop a digital or physical product, but when it comes to the money-time, they back out. “If it’s going to cost me money, there’s no way,” they say, “it’s not like I have a profitable business right now, I can’t afford to spend the money right now”.  Also, the amount of information online today available with no charge,  in the form of articles, books, or even free courses, is so extensive – so why spend money on something you could get for free, right? I totally get that… I myself offer a variety of free courses in different fields, and I truly believe that free courses can be valuable. With that being said, the chance of a free course actually being comprehensive and professional, one that provides all of the tools in the precise order of action that shortens the time it takes to learn, is nil. Why? Because such a professional course involves a lot of work and financial investment from the creator of the course {and I say this from personal experience}.

To really earn money, I believe time and money need to be invested in the right places while always looking ahead at the long term (guess that’s why it’s called an investment🤓), and if you think your business isn’t worth investing in, you might very well not have one to invest in, in the future. 

טיפים לחיזוק וביסוס העסק שלך בזמן משבר

3. If your business isn’t online - now’s the time

The fact that the world is racing toward digital means is something known to us all, way before the coronavirus. Almost every major brand that sells physical merchandise does so today through online sales sites, and there are plenty of big and small businesses alike that do everything online. And now, the raging pandemic has made it clear that businesses that operate digitally and offer services in the digital space are more viable than businesses that do not offer such service or products.

If your business is based on working with people upfront (such as a yoga instructor, make-up artist, interior designer, etc.) how can you add a digital aspect to your business? 

Could you possibly start a professional blog? Create a digital course or workshop that gives over your professional knowledge to potential clients? How about a digital book? Or maybe a brand new service like a consultation, or an exercise session, via Zoom?

Try and think about how you can digitally develop, not only to power through this challenging period but also to generate additional revenue for your business in the future. 

This applies as well to employees who’d like to utilize their time at home and attempt a new business venture. 

4. Diversify your sources of revenue

Now more than ever before, I am so grateful that I did not put all my eggs in one basket, and that I split my business's sources of income both in terms of physical products and services and in my business’s digital activity.

My business is based on multiple channels of income – content for businesses, professional consulting  (both digital and in-person) for bloggers and small businesses, affiliate marketing, premium digital courses, and digital products. This is why my business is still active during such a  challenging period of time. And you know what, at a time like this I can’t help but think of how I can add even more diversity to my channels of revenue. 

Now is an excellent time to question how diverse your sources of income are. Do you rely on one single revenue channel that feels comfortable and safe? If so, what can you do to diversify your business's revenue channels? {Read the previous section again for ideas}.

טיפים לחיזוק וביסוס העסק שלך בזמן משבר

5. Stop feeling “uncomfortable”

We are in the midst of an extremely bizarre time, during which we don’t exactly know how to act “properly”. When it comes to small businesses like our own, many of us feel “uncomfortable” if we’re still working (I purposely put this in quotes because I  was approached more than once with questions on this topic and even pondered it myself). 

Uncomfortable to discuss the situation.

Uncomfortable to discuss aspects of escapism

Uncomfortable to discuss the business.

Uncomfortable to sell products or services. 

Uncomfortable to promote your activity. 

The entire situation has led us to fear we might make the wrong move, make a mistake,  and be wrongly misunderstood and negatively perceived by others. 

After much thought, I think it is nearly impossible to run a business by “walking on eggshells”.

As the owner, it is you who knows your business and your target audience best. This is why it’s hard for me to believe that you would make a mistake when it comes to the things you put out there. In case you’re really not sure about what content is relevant to your audience, you are always welcome to ask (this is what you have a mailing list for, Instagram, Facebook, etc.)

When it comes to selling products and business promotion – I’m not sure that anyone who is still working should feel the need to apologize. On the contrary, if the services or products your business provides can help your target audience during this period, it would be foolish and self-centered not to offer them. The present moment is also a time to come up with new suggestions that might be more relevant to your audience right now. Yes, sales may be affected by the current economic uncertainty, but that doesn’t mean that people will stop buying things they need (and no, I don’t just mean food and meds, many people are still looking to buy self-care products, fashion, electronics, etc.)

Also, there is a public discourse about the difficulties involved in running a small business, especially at such a time, and I believe and know {at least myself – both as a small business owner and as a small business customer} that if there is a community that enjoys your business content and products on an ongoing basis, it is not Look at it with disfavor – on the contrary, it will want to support you and your work.

I realize times are tough right now, and that you feel anxious and concerned about your business, but I hope you enjoyed this post and that you will find these tips helpful to your business. 

Good luck!

What are you planning to do to develop your business during this time? Tell me in the comments!

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