Change can Lead to Great Opportunities
I’ve been married to Dominic for 24 years and during that time we’ve lived in six homes. It started with a small Cape Cod in a rundown neighborhood which was all we could afford. A year later, we took on a massive remodel of an old Victorian downtown. That led us to a quaint home in the woods near our son’s elementary school. However, a move to Suamico was in order to live near my parents who needed ongoing medical assistance. That was our longest stay at 14 years. But eventually, we saw the need to get off our busy street, find some peace and quiet in the woods, and purchase what would become our dream home. We thought we would live there forever.
In the end, what we thought was our dream home was too big for empty nesters, required a lot of maintenance and came with a high tax burden. It’s funny what looked so perfect at one time no longer was. Our newer “simpler” outlook gave us a new dream … a smaller home with a barn, land, a nice little lake and the allure of country life. Our life has changed drastically in one year.
Most people assume we are restless and always looking for a new adventure. I disagree. Our moves have been necessitated by changing needs and circumstances. The entire world is facing this right now. Obviously, COVID-19 has changed everyone’s life. How quickly was your business able to pivot?
More flexible businesses who frequently alter their practices and restructure the way they reach the consumer are thriving. Those that cannot, are faltering. Even in the face of a pandemic, human needs don’t really change. We still require the basics like food, shelter, clothing, entertainment, etc. it’s just the form in which we receive that may look different.
Curbside pick-up, online ordering and banking apps, etc … these services allow us to receive everything we need from the comfort and safety of our own homes. Restaurants that offered Thanksgiving take-out meals flourished. Retail stores that changed their inventory from suits and dresses to casual “work-at-home” apparel are doing well. Last month, I even had the pleasure of hosting an online benefit called The Golden Eagle for the Boy Scouts and over $300,000 was raised online! Azure, a local boutique in De Pere, records a weekly live video debuting their new products and then offers local same-day delivery to your home. Festival Foods expanded their Click N Go curbside pick up and now employs dozens of students at each store to meet this demand.
You too can adapt your business model to increase production, sales and productivity. All you have to do is look to other businesses for inspiration, use a little creativity and communicate well to let your customers know what you are doing to meet their needs. It’s not just in the face of a pandemic that we need to review business strategy. It should be a part of your annual plan to analyze if your business model is still relevant and efficient. If you haven’t done so yet, now is a great time to get started! I’m happy to help you with your business needs after Dominic and I finish our morning barn chores.😉
