How to Make Your Business Survive and Grow During the Pandemic

Today, popping into a store or dining at a café while passing by acrylic sneeze shields and hand sanitation units is common. The COVID-19 pandemic has upended our lives and compelled businesses to adapt or risk obsolescence.

Smaller enterprises, which are just scraping by with limited financial resources, need to implement additional measures not only to tread water but also to potentially expand, even during these turbulent times.

The future is uncertain, as no one knows how long this pandemic will persist. Despite this lack of simple solutions, several pragmatic steps can help you sustain your business and perhaps even flourish during this challenging period!

Strategies for Businesses During a Pandemic

1 - Develop a Three-Month Financial Blueprint

Most small businesses share the same primary expenses—rent for workspace, salaries for employees, and utility expenses. These will vary based on the company's industry, and additional costs will arise from that. To make your financial resources last, prioritize your spending for the forthcoming three months.

Start with your landlord and suppliers by discussing your planned mitigation efforts to help keep your enterprise running. Negotiate accommodations such as invoice extensions where required.

Recognize that other companies face similar predicaments, so aim to ensure fairness when settling accounts.

Ensure the continuity of your suppliers' operations during this period. If they are ceasing operations, it might disrupt your business. Hopefully, they have implemented plans to manage during the pandemic; if not, it's time to consider alternatives.

The most significant expenses for your business are likely your office rent and personnel. Do all you can to sustain your staff, who are crucial to your company. You could propose part-time or freelance arrangements temporarily.

If your office lease is burdensome, possible solutions include sharing your office with another business, downsizing to a smaller space, considering co-working spaces, or transitioning to remote work.

In three months, it's hoped the situation with COVID-19 would improve, providing an overview of what the following months may look like and allowing you to reassess your financial plan accordingly.

2 - Seek Support

In response to the pandemic's economic impact, governments are creating programs and funding initiatives to aid businesses. Seize all available stimulus opportunities applicable to your business—you may qualify for more than one.

3 - Adjust to the New Market Dynamics

Your business strategy from the start of 2020 may have been disrupted by the pandemic. If your prior model centered around in-person interaction with customers at your physical store, you will need to adapt to survive forthcoming months.

Thoroughly reassess your business model, identifying necessary modifications. Important points of consideration include:

* Adapting to the drastic shifts in buyer behavior * Can you begin selling your offerings online? * Are there processes or technologies you could adopt to counteract or recover lost profits by forging novel engagement pathways with your clients?

4 - Implement COVID-safe Workplace Practice

Businesses must adopt measures to reduce transmission risk and secure a safe environment for employees, customers, contractors, and the general public.

Adherence to guidelines will vary by location, so research the requirements for reopening safely in your vicinity.

Administer a COVID risk assessment, considering tasks or activities that will resume in your business locale when staff and customers return. These three control measures can help you meet regulatory standards:

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Depending on your business type, you might have to equip your employees with face masks and gloves. If you operate in sectors such as food & hospitality or beauty, PPE is crucial. PPE dispensers should be installed in the workplace, and workers trained in their correct usage.

Engineering Control

This involves physical environment adjustments to prevent respiratory droplet transmission and other bodily fluids. Examples include:

* Implementing acrylic barriers to separate shared table seating * Erecting acrylic shields at cash registers and countertops * Arranging alternate seating to avoid close contact * Applying floor markers to delineate queue distancing

Administrative Control

Switching up office operations can help make daily activities safer. Modify staff scheduling, define one-way movement routes through offices, enhance hygiene practices, and revisit overall safety protocols.

Reducing the number of customers and employees inside your establishment should help too. Encourage staff who can work remotely to do so or implement a minimal workforce, possibly on a rotational schedule, to limit incoming numbers.

Some tasks may prevent social distancing. In those instances, extra protective gear should be mandatory for involved staff.

5 - Enhance Staff Skills

If you've managed to retain most or all of your team, now's the ideal time to upskill them to enhance efficiency and productivity. There are abundant online resources available for them to widen their skills set. For instance, your sales and marketing personnel could undertake digital marketing and social media courses to promote your online store as physical store visits have dropped off.

Flourishing Amidst Crisis

Are you prepared to tackle the challenge and make your workplace COVID-proof? Allow DANONI to assist! We supply acrylic sneeze shields, PPE dispensers, and other protective equipment to safeguard your staff and patrons. Visit our website today!