What Business Lessons Can You Learn From The Pandemic?

Three focuses of my blog are Current Events, Money/Financial Literacy and Business/Entrepreneurship. The pandemic was life changing for everyone, and not everyone survived in the business arena. Whether or not you fared well or did not, there were lessons for everyone. The following contributed post is entitled, What Business Lessons Can You Learn From The Pandemic?

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It has been a tough 18 months or so for businesses everywhere, and the people who keep them running. Many people in business have struggled to keep their livelihoods alive, which in turn has affected their employees. Nobody wants to have to deal with such a difficult set of circumstances, but we’ve learned that sometimes you need to be prepared for something unexpected to come your way. Many businesses haven’t survived the pandemic, but those that have took steps to adapt and try to survive. Whether you have an established business or you’re setting up a business right now, there are some great lessons you can take from the pandemic.

Here are some of the things you can keep in mind, not just for the current situation but also for the future.

Be Prepared for Anything

While it’s not entirely true that we couldn’t have predicted a pandemic (they have occurred before), most people weren’t expecting to have to deal with one anytime soon. If there’s one lesson that every business owner has taken from the pandemic, it’s that you need to be prepared for anything. It’s not exactly an easy feat to achieve, especially for a small business, but there are multiple things that any business can do to help them prepare for anything that might come their way. Having good savings and good insurance, as well as being ready to adapt your business to new circumstances when necessary can help to prepare your business for the future.

It’s Important to Support Other Businesses

Something that many businesses have learned recently is that you can’t necessarily rely on the government or anyone else for help when you’re in trouble. For many people, the help that was given came too late or wasn’t enough. With this in mind, a lot of business people have realized how important it is to support other businesses and to stick together as a community. The #OpenForBusiness Campaign aims to recognize the resilience of American entrepreneurship and how important it is for small businesses to support each other. The campaign’s helicopter tour of each of the lower-48 states will involve visiting small businesses and speaking to owners about adapting to the post-pandemic economy.

Work-Life Balance Is Important

Working from home has become the norm for many during the pandemic. Business owners have continued to run their companies from home where possible or have found alternative ways to use their business premises if they can. Something that this has highlighted is the need for work-life balance, both for business owners and their employees. Working from home has made it even more important to maintain a line between work and home, ensuring there’s a separation between the two. People who have been working long hours know that it’s crucial to have the time to rest and dedicate to your family and other parts of your personal life.

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Treat Your Employees Well

One of the effects of the pandemic that we’re seeing is an unwillingness from employees to work for poor pay and in poor conditions. Previously, many people might have felt like they had to take what they could get. But after more than a year has shown why some of these employees are so essential, people are changing their mindsets. They want to be appreciated and adequately compensated for their work. For businesses that are struggling to find employees, offering something more for anyone who works for them could be the key to turning things around.

Keep Your Customers Loyal

As well as treating your employees well, it’s also important to keep your customers loyal. In times of trouble, knowing that you have customers who are likely to stick with you through thick and thin is reassuring. So be sure to treat your customers well, both when things are going well and when circumstances aren’t so rosy.

Know How to Adapt But Stay True

Adapting your business during tough times is often an essential way to survive. Many businesses took this step during the pandemic, especially those that were unable to operate as normal, such as restaurants. Knowing how to adapt is important, but it’s also necessary to know how to stay true to your business and its values. Whether you’re making a temporary change or pivoting on a more permanent basis, you should think about how to maintain your values and what your business stands for, especially if you want to keep some existing customers around.

If there are some positives to take away from the pandemic, some valuable business lessons can definitely be useful.

Author: anwaryusef

Anwar Y. Dunbar is a Regulatory Scientist. Being a naturally curious person, he is also a student of all things. He earned his Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the University of Michigan and his Bachelor’s Degree in General Biology from Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU). Prior to starting the Big Words Blog Site, Anwar published and contributed to numerous research articles in competitive scientific journals reporting on his research from graduate school and postdoctoral years. After falling in love with writing, he contributed to the now defunct Examiner.com, and the Edvocate where he regularly wrote about: Education-related stories/topics, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), Financial Literacy; as well as conducted interviews with notable individuals such as actor and author Hill Harper. Having many influences, one of his most notable heroes is author, intellectual and speaker, Malcolm Gladwell, author of books including Outliers and David and Goliath. Anwar has his hands in many, many activities. In addition to writing, Anwar actively mentors youth, works to spread awareness of STEM careers, serves on the Board of Directors of the Friends of the David M. Brown Arlington Planetarium, serves as Treasurer for the JCSU Washington, DC Alumni Chapter, and is active in the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace Ministry at the Alfred Street Baptist Church. He also tutors in the subjects of biology, chemistry and physics. Along with his multi-talented older brother Amahl Dunbar (designer of the Big Words logos, inventor and a plethora of other things), Anwar is a “Fanboy” and really enjoys Science-Fiction and Superhero movies including but not restricted to Captain America Civil War, Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Prometheus. He is a proud native of Buffalo, NY.

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