What Does Small Business In A Post-COVID World Look Like?

While all the MBAs in the world never prepared any business leader for what has come about in 2020, small business owners have been faced with some pretty mounting challenges; figuring out how to stay in business and keep employees employed. The normal stresses of being a small business leader are hard enough, now this. If you are a small business owner who has managed to keep going and are reading this, congratulations are definitely in order. It doesn’t matter where you went to business school, or not, you would never have taken a class in running a business in the middle of a pandemic. You are a rock star. But, like most rock stars these days who are not out on tour for the foreseeable future, how are you going to run your small business in a Post-COVID world? 

The world is likely not returning to normal. Business is not going to be done the same way it was in 2019. This can be a very jarring thing to get your mind around as a small business owner, or just plain human. Waiting for things to go back to the way they were is certain to tank your future in more ways than one. That road is closed off. Let it go. Time to charter a new path toward the future. Your small business’s success depends on it. No, seriously, it does.

Small Business In A POST-COVID World Is About New Strategies 

If you have not sat down with yourself and had a good hard thinking session about what your business strategy is going to look like when the economy is firing on at least most of its cylinders, take a minute to go find your journal and your pen. You’ll need those. 

Letting go of what was and embracing what is means you are going to have to think about a business plan that includes some of the things we have had to implement in our businesses to stay in business. Small business in a Post-COVID world means being more nimble and open to change than you probably were before. These trying times do have blessings hidden in them. For many, this has stretched the mind and the capabilities of you and your staff in a good way. Harness that. 

How will you take some of the things you have had to do to keep up with business that you can easily make part of your process now? For many, meeting with clients online has been a necessary thing to do in order to keep their business. What you might have realized is that this can be a very convenient way to keep conversations going and stay connected and save time and money on travel. Why not make online meetings something to consider when thinking about what sales process looks like going forward?

What about the vendors you are working with now? Will they still be your go-tos when this is done? Will they fit into your new business model? Why or why not? Vendors who can’t scale easily or be flexible when things are in flux may not be the ones you want to have around when you think about how to stay ahead of the curve this year. 

How You Manage Your Business Is About Great Communication Going Forward 

One of the biggest challenges facing small businesses in a Post-COVID world is figuring out how to manage workflow. With more people working from home or working remotely, great communication strategies are critical to keeping employees engaged and feeling like they are a valued part of your organization. Too many small businesses have failed at flexible work environments, not because they hired the wrong people for the job, they just didn’t communicate with them effectively. 

Remote workers need more communication, not less. It is easy to feel forgotten about when you are not meeting with your team or your boss in-person on a regular basis. Working with your staff who are working from home will require you to come up with a communication plan if this is going to work. You will need to bust out that business plan journal and craft out what needs to happen culture-wise and what communication tools you’ll need to help your team feel like they are working together instead of alone. 

Speaking of communication, you’ll also need to figure out how to create an HR strategy that makes sense for small business in a Post-COVID world. The small office thinking and doing HR by the seat of your pants will have to end. Online tools, virtual posting of policies, employee handbooks, forms, benefits information, and all the other stuff you used to keep in your desk have to be delivered in a different way. 

Working with remote workers, especially remote workers who live in other states, requires the small business owner to get smart about HR. For many, the DIY HR is not going to work anymore. PEOs are excellent ways to keep HR running smoothly, compliant, and easy for your employees to access without breaking the bank. Small business in a Post-COVID world means making your business accessible from anywhere. If you’d like to know more about how PEOs can help your small business in a Post-COVID world, contact us today for a free consultation.