Let the pandemic propel you forward
I had the distinct pleasure of starting Elevation Business Consulting shortly before the world shut down. I made the commitment to go all in on building my business and making my vision a reality in February 2020. By the beginning of March, I had a strong pipeline and was feeling good about what I was doing. Then BOOM the world stopped. No one needs help making their vision actionable when their world turns upside down and they are simply trying to envision survival.
Running life and business in survival mode requires an execution mindset. You move quickly to determine what needs to happen to deliver your product or service in a remote world. You make decisions quickly about technology required to stay connected to your now dispersed team. It was an exhausting and anxiety filled time for business owners.
Fast forward a few months and things settled down. We all got into a rhythm of doing business remotely and with minimal contact. Essential businesses figured out how to keep employees safer. Business owners adapted to the new circumstances. New business opportunities were identified and flourished, while existing business lines were no longer relevant. Things have not evolved as we all had envisioned. But we have made it work. We are still pushing forward after all the uncertainty of a pandemic.
While we throw around phrases like “return to pre-pandemic” or “the new normal,” we are all working to accept that the world as it was pre-pandemic is not how it will be in the future. We are all learning how the global economy will move forward while maintaining hope that what we want out of life and our business is still possible (who knew I would be eager for in-person networking events).
“Your business still exists. You clearly did something right. Build on that.”
While we long for what was and look to the future of what could be, I encourage you to think about what got you here - right here, to today, after enduring a pandemic for close to two years. Your business still exists. You clearly did something right. Build on that.
As you prepare for the coming year, answer a few questions about your business to assess what you need to keep doing:
What shift did we make on the fly that worked out well?
What service/product has taken on new life during the pandemic?
What has generated the most positive feedback from your customers?
What have your employees appreciated most about working with you during the pandemic?
What do you enjoy most about your pandemic way of operating?
It easy to review the past two years and see missed goals or “could have been’s.” But the truth is we cannot review an unanticipated global pandemic with could’s and should’s. We had no idea what we were dealing with when it started. But you survived. Your business has continued to succeed. Take what got you through the tough times and use it to propel you and your business forward. Clearly you figured something out and that is worth building on.