Today let’s reflect on your new normal: what you’ll return to as the dust settles on the coronavirus and the other global challenges we’ve all been facing.
Lately, we have seen history being made, all of the worlds put the brakes on, and we’re in the very privileged position of coming out the other side. Having faced so many changes, health changes, relationship changes, environmental changes, social changes, and many more, it is easy to get lost in the heartache and negatives. Despite it all, there is one great positive we can draw from this moving forward: the opportunity to craft our new normal.
We’ve learned so many lessons from this chaotic time and I’m hoping that we can take these lessons and create better outcomes for ourselves. Let’s look at five things that I want for every business moving forward.
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A clear focus on what matters:
Firstly, I’d love to see a clear focus on what matters. We’ve been locked away from our teams at work. Some of us have been locked away from our families, loved ones, and friends. What we have come to realise, is that what matters is people. People who care for us and help us stay focused on our business mission. This is what matters, and it’s what we should be focusing on moving forward.
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Robust processes that can roll with the punches:
I also want every business owner to invest in building robust processes. The kind of processes that can roll with the punches in business. You can’t predict changes like what we’ve experienced over the last few months. What you can do is be prepared with systems that are robust and resilient. So even when unexpected change comes there is some kind of normal that can be continued with.
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Lean operations which require expenses to earn their keep:
The next thing I want to see is everyone investing in lean operations. Doing this means that your expenses can be low, and stay low. If we’ve learned nothing else, it’s that every dollar counts. When sales dip, we need to know how to respond strategically and appropriately. To keep our heads above water, even when the financials become a bit rocky. Taking the time to invest in lean operations is essential to reducing those unexpected expenses.
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Global reach to capitalise on the value of your niche:
It would be so valuable to see people taking advantage of the fact that we now have a new sense of a global community. More than ever before we have a global reach. You can capitalise on this to make the most of your true value. You might think of your business niche as locally limited in size. Yet it might be hundreds of thousands or even millions of people on a global scale, and with everyone online, you can reach them.
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A business that can always deliver, with or without you there:
I am always a fan of people creating a business that can consistently deliver, with or without you there. If there is a lesson we can take from these last few months, especially moving forward into our new normal, it’s this: build a business that can run without you. So when you are there, you can focus on the Strategic Growth parts of the work. So that you can keep building the business mission, without getting bogged down in the day today.
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Multiple revenue streams to develop resilience:
I also want to see people building multiple revenue streams to develop resilience. If you’ve got all of your eggs in one basket, you will find yourself quite vulnerable. If that’s how you started this year, you may well be struggling right now. So make sure to build multiple revenue streams. Package up different offerings, put things together to sell in different ways, and increase your range. Open up so you have lots of things available, and you will suffer less when one falls.
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Flexible lifestyles that foster work/life balance:
Finally, I want to see people enjoying lifestyles that foster a true work/life balance. This means we focus on the most important things. We should make the most of every single minute of our lives, invest in the truly important things, and look after all the areas of our life. Working online has shown us we can be more flexible, so let’s tend to the things that matter. Life is truly what we make of it.
