Category: Financial Literacy and Money

Are You Making These Critical Home Business Mistakes?

Two focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. Not all businesses are traditional brick and mortar businesses and some of the most successful businesses are actually run out our personal homes. But are you running your home business correctly? The following contributed post is entitled, Are You Making These Critical Home Business Mistakes?

* * *

These days, a lot more businesses are being run from the comfort of people’s homes. This isn’t just because of COVID-19. Working from home provides people with numerous benefits including great cost savings. However, to gain access to the key benefits you need to ensure that you are making the right decisions from day one. Here are some of the possibilities that you definitely need to keep in mind.

Pexels CCO License

Failing To Manage Your Tech

First, when you run a company from home, you must be aware that you will be completely reliant on tech. If your tech stops working then so too will your business and that’s an issue that you’re probably not prepared for. A lot of home business owners think that they can manage their own tech but this is almost always a mistake. Without managed IT services for small business, you are going to miss out on a lot of issues. You could even sustain a hack and it can take weeks for you to realize that this has actually occurred.

Forgetting To Set Up The Right Work Environment

Next, you need to think about your work environment. When you are running a business from home, then it’s easy to assume that you can run your company from anywhere in the property. While this is technically true, it’s probably not advised. For instance, the temptation will be to not even bother getting out of bed in the morning. If you try to work from your bed, then there’s a good chance that you’re not going to reach your full productivity potential.

Instead, you should make sure that you do have a full business office. It’s important to ensure that there aren’t too many distractions around you. Working with a TV in your room is a massive faux pas. Unless of course, you need to keep up with the news for your job.

You should also make sure that your tech is set up the right way too. It’s important that you don’t get distracted when using your tech. This is why blocking some of your favourite sites temporarily through the day can be a fantastic decision.

Failing To Invest In Marketing

Finally, when you run your business from home, you’re not going to have the same level of visibility as you would with a business office. This is why you need to make sure that you are investing in the services of a great marketing team. It’s also important to ensure that you are spending enough on marketing. On average, you should consider spending about 25% of your budget on marketing. This is true, regardless of whether you are running a small or large company from your home. In the first year, you should expect to spend at least three thousand on a digital marketing campaign.

Pexels CCO License

As you can see, there are numerous mistakes that you definitely do need to avoid when you are running a business from home. If you don’t take these into account then you could put your business at risk as well as your wellbeing.

Opening Your Restaurant Safely During COVID-19

Three focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money, Business/Entrepreneurship and Current Events. One of the many adverse sectors adversely impacted by Covid-19 is the restaurant industry. Proprietors have been able to reopen with specific safeguards in place and adapting as time progresses. The following contributed post is entitled, Opening Your Restaurant Safely During COVID-19.

* * *

There are some places in the world that are opening their restaurants and cafes and trying to get back to normal. In the current pandemic climate, opening the doors to anywhere to “get back to normal” doesn’t feel possible. The good news is that there are plenty of things that you can do as a restaurant owner to make sure that your restaurant is COVID safe. The problem is that people are being given mixed signals by the government about what to do.

As a business owner, you want people to feel comfortable coming into your establishment, which means that you need to do everything that you can to show them that you are confident about your service and how you are handling the pandemic. Most people will find that they won’t eat in restaurants at this time, and ideally, you will be offering a delivery service to keep business afloat. If not, it’s time to offer this as a service and appeal to the masses. Other than this, here are some things that you can do to stay safe with your restaurant opening at this time.

Image Source: Pexels

Offer Outdoor Seating
If you have the space and the permission, one of the best things that you can do to show people that you are minimizing risk is to open seating outdoors. The risk of contracting the virus is lower outdoors, and there can be more space between tables if you have a garden or front yard space to fill with tables and chairs. You could always keep it bistro-style, too, where the tables outside are for those with a coffee and a pastry rather than full dinners. Advertise this service online, so that people coming to your establishment know that there are options to not be cooped up inside.

Arrange A Booking-Only Policy
It’s nice to pop into a restaurant without a booking, but with a pandemic, it will be better for your business to have people only allowed in if they book in advance. When they do this, you can plan the seating better to keep people socially distanced. Offer a texting service, too, so that people who have a booking can be reminded the day before.

Set Up Hand Sanitizer Stations
Outside the restaurant, encourage patrons to use hand sanitizer. Add some to the bathrooms and have an indoor station for on the way out of the restaurant, too. Don’t allow staff to wear gloves, as these can transfer bacteria when they’re not changed after every use.

Invest In Cleaners
You can ask that your current cleaning company is retrained to handle the deeper clean that COVID demands, but you can also hire professionals. Commercial cleaners like HOODZ need to be on standby to do the deeper clean in the kitchen, and you will be able to guarantee to your patrons that you are meeting all health regulations in the light of this pandemic. They should come in frequently to ensure the kitchens are up to cleaning standards at all times. You must be strict about this and include it in your budget.

Offer Masks To Staff
While your patrons do not have to wear masks while they eat, your staff absolutely do. Wait staff and kitchen cooks need to have masks on so as to avoid transmission of any bacteria. It also ensures that people feel confident eating in your restaurant. If they can visibly see that you are taking the pandemic seriously, they are more likely to recommend your site.

Ensure Good Ventilation
The bigger the space, the better the ventilation in the premises. Remove some tables to create that space if necessary. This will give people more room and they won’t be elbow to elbow with people at the next table over.

Promote Social Distancing
Where possible, guests need to be far apart from each other. Whether you are inside or outside with your restaurant, create enough space for social distancing to be possible. While this pandemic is still happening, you need to think of everything that you can do to stick by the rules as set forth by the health ministers.

You want to continue to set an example for your customers as much as possible. Business continuity is so important, and you can ensure that people are comfortable with your approach and set a good example for the community, too. Your business needs to be seen to play by the rules – and it will keep everyone safe when you do.

How To Estimate Construction Costs

Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. If you’re in the construction business, a key to your success will be estimating and managing costs. Doing so will ensure that your jobs are profitable. The following contributed post is entitled, How To Estimate Construction Costs.

* * *

Image credit.

If you are considering renovating your property, there are costs around every corner. Particularly if it is a large property which requires a lot of work, there is much to be done to budget your renovation without missing anything out. Working out the costs of labor, materials and time constraints takes organization and time, as well as patience and professional consultation. Here are some criteria to consider when planning construction work on your property!

The Nature of the Renovation

All renovations are unique in their needs, and in order to find an accurate estimate, you will first need to understand the nature of the renovation you want to undergo. Carefully plan what exactly needs to be done for the renovation, and the desired effect you want to achieve. In order to do this accurately, it is best you consult a contractor who can explain all that would need to be done for each stage of the renovation and how much it might cost.

The Materials

Many people are surprised by the cost of raw materials needed for a large renovation. Depending on the type of wood, metal and other materials you will need for the renovation, you may be charged less for a bulk amount of the material, and may be given discounts or deals based on the contractor you go through. Wood costs and the amount of wood needed are shown using Lumber Takeoffs which are professionally estimated by experts. This will give you the best accuracy for understanding how much material you will need, and how much it will all eventually cost.

Manpower

Of course, any construction work will need manpower to implement it. Your contractor will help estimate how many construction workers you will need to complete the renovation, and for how long they will need to work. Manpower is a significant part of the operation which is often included in the price of construction, depending on the company you use.

Collateral Budget

In any construction work, things go awry that were unexpected. Perhaps the right materials are not available at a certain time, or something like the COVID-19 pandemic comes along and shuts the place down. Whatever it may be, your budget needs to include some money for collateral costs which you did not plan for. Without it, you could be stuck halfway through a construction project with no way of finishing it. This can be a nightmare scenario for any property owner who just wants to get the job done.

Conclusion

Construction costs do not have to sneak up on you when you least expect. While this happens much of the time, with proper organization and professional consultation, you can get an accurate estimate of your renovation costs which doesn’t leave you surprised and disappointed when the time comes to pay up.

3 Ways To Prevent Your Ideas From Being Stolen

Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. If your business involves the creation of some sort of intellectual property, it’s critical that you protect but there are thieves who will steal to profit from it. The following contributed post is entitled, 3 Ways To Prevent Your Ideas From Being Stolen.

* * *

Good ideas are rare to find – especially if they’re unique. If you’ve come up with an excellent idea, the last thing you need is for it to be stolen. People have their ideas taken from them all the time. Even if someone gets a portion of your idea, they can take it and run. So, how do you stop this from happening? In an age that’s full of technology – and everything is connected – can you stop people from stealing your ideas?

The short answer is, yes, you can. It involves a bit of legal work, and there are other steps you should also take before reaching the legal stages. Here are the three ways you can protect your ideas from being stolen:

Image Credit (CC0 License)

Get a copyright

Copyright law basically means that you own the rights to something that others can’t copy. Typically, this refers to intellectual property – like product designs, brand names, etc. I don’t think you can get a copyright for things like general business ideas, but you should speak to intellectual property lawyers just in case. Regardless, you need to copyright key parts of your idea that other people can steal. If you’ve come up with a new product, be sure you have a copyright on all of the designs. So, if someone manages to get a glimpse of them, they can’t use your ideas. If they do, you have the power to sue them and gain a lot of money.

Avoid conducting business on unsecured networks

Have you ever gone to a coffee shop and started doing work on your laptop? Perhaps you’ve created documents with business ideas on them; maybe you’ve emailed some thoughts to colleagues? In doing so, you put all of your ideas at risk due to the unsecured network. Coffee shops – and other public places – offer free WiFi for people to use. The downside of it being free is that it’s an open network for anyone to use. There’s no security, making it easy for a hacker to see what you’re doing. Who knows if someone is watching your every move and subtly stealing all of your knowledge? It’s best to conduct business on a secured network at all times. Password protected networks are the best, but you can add another layer of security with a VPN. Often, a VPN will also let you use open WiFi networks with more protection.

Keep your circle small

Don’t shout about your business ideas to everyone and anyone. It’s tempting, but you need to keep your circle as small as can be. Only tell people that you can trust. Otherwise, all it takes is for one person to say something to their friend, and then their friend tells someone else, and pretty soon, your idea has been stolen. Keep things under wraps until you can register trademarks and get copyrights.

All of these points are valid, but the second one deserves lots of attention. It’s so easy for a hacker to break into your computer and find all of your valuable information. They do it for fun, but they can see your idea and sell it to someone for a lot of money. Always take precautions when you’re online, and don’t forget the other two tips as well.

Finding A Niche For Your Restaurant

Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. Many people want to start restaurants, but even if you’re a great chef with stellar recipes, you still have to find your niche. The following contributed post is entitled, Finding A Niche For Your Restaurant.

* * *

Pexels. CCO Licensed.

Looking for a way to attract more business to your restaurant? The answer might not be to try and cater to everyone but to instead find your niche.

If you’re competing with lots of other restaurants in your area, you need to find yourself a unique identity. Targeting a niche might limit the types of new customers you get through your door, but it could also grow the amount of return customers. This is because you’re creating a unique experience that these customers can only go to you for. Below are just a few ideas for carving out a niche.

Consider untapped demographics

Is there a specific group of people in your area in need of a restaurant like yours? This could be one place to start. A few large demographics that can sometimes go untapped include:

· Families with young kids
· Dog owners
· Customers with specific dietary requirements (e.g. vegans, customers with gluten intolerance)

You could decide to really home in on one of these niches. For instance, if your demographic is families with young kids, you could look into commercial swing set parts and create your own playground or build a unique kids’ menu. The more you focus on a niche, the more you risk of alienating people not in that niche, so decide whether there’s really enough customers locally within that niche to make it your full focus.

Give your restaurant a theme

You may be able to carve out a niche by giving your restaurant a unique theme. The most basic form of this is targeting a specific type of cuisine from a certain part of the world such as Chinese food or Italian food. However, if you’re setting up a restaurant in a city, you may find that there are already Chinese and Italian bistros in the area, meaning that you’ll need to come up with an even more specific theme to stand out.

If your premises is a historical building or is located in a historic area, you may be able to incorporate the history into the theme. If you’ve got a certain hobby that you’re passionate about such as movies or sports or cars, then you could even turn this into the theme. This theme could be incorporated into everything from the food to the décor to your visual branding.

Make it more than a restaurant

You may be able to market your restaurant as more than a place to eat and drink. For instance, it could also serve as a music venue for local musicians to play in. You could set up a shop on the side for people to buy books or clothes. You could even host cooking classes there, or let other people hire out the event for parties and functions. This dual purpose is certain to serve as a USP and could help you to build a loyal fanbase that benefits from both of these purposes.

Are You Ready For Catastrophe?

Three focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money, Business/Entrepreneurship, and Organizational/Management Discussions. In addition to earning profits and operating as efficiently as possible, smart businesses must foresee potential catastrophes. Having contingency plans in place can allow you to survive while other businesses perish. The following contributed post is entitled, Are You Ready For Catastrophe?

* * *

Did you know that a quarter of all companies are unable to continue their business after a catastrophe? Their lack of preparedness stops them from being able to recover effectively enough to enable them to continue to earn a profit and keep the doors open. Large-scale natural disasters are difficult to overcome, which is why you need to be as ready as possible for any disaster that could befall your business.

It’s common to think that most larger disasters won’t ever happen to your business, but they do. Both natural and man-made disasters happen all the time, and on top of those, there are terrorists, business interruptions, hackers and more – great, right? The best thing that you can do is ensure that you are prepared for any number of these disasters to happen to your business. Preparation is the key to avoiding failure, and given that the aftermath of major disasters happen to be business-killers, you need to be ready for the “after” as much as you do to prevent things from happening in the first place. You can get more info about how to back up your power, how to save your documents and how to have a storm shelter for your business, but there are so many more things that you should do for your business. So, here are a few things that you can get started with!

Image Source: Pexels

● Get Insurance. Your business, no matter how big or small it is needs insurance. Without insurance, you’re putting your business at risk of not being able to come back from catastrophe. You have to choose the insurance that covers you for all kinds of financial losses, and you should also consider business interruption insurance for things that can close roads, ports and airports – all of these things can stop your business from continuing, which you really do not need.
● Invest In Great IT. There is a bank of cloud-based software out there and it’s recommended that you have a great IT company working with you to back up all of your business files. If your IT systems get damaged in a fire, flood or hurricane, you need to be able to access the information from those computers.
● Plan For Remote Working. If you have something happen to your business, you need to know that you can continue to work. A hurricane can take your office building, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t work. Remote working and communication with staff are both important, and you can do this without an office building. Sure, it’s an inconvenience, so make sure that you have a back up plan to a destroyed office. Remote working is that back up plan.
● Emergency Training. Being ready for catastrophe isn’t always easy but if your staff are well-trained in health and safety and emergency measures, then you will all be able to work together to ensure that you are responding in the right way to any emergency that comes up. The emergency training you provide your staff will change the way you handle any disaster in future.

Maximizing Efficiency For Your E-Commerce Business

Three focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money, Business/Entrepreneurship and Technology. In our new digital world, much of the commerce is done online. Even with the efficiencies already built into e-commerce, you want to make sure you’re going everything you can. The following contributed post is entitled, Maximizing Efficiency For Your E-Commerce Business.

* * *

It’s been reported that e-commerce is the fastest-growing global retail channel through 2022. It is currently on course to become a larger retail channel than traditional grocery retail. Within the e-commerce space, the grocery sector looks set to be the fastest-growing area. E-commerce is changing how people shop for virtually everything.

One of the most important and fundamental aspects of the growth in e-commerce is convenience. Online retail allows customers to quickly and easily browse and shop. The buying process standards have increased to the extent that customers can make purchases using a single click. Consumers now have very high expectations when it comes to online purchases. A clunky website layout can be enough for someone to abandon their cart. In the era of next day delivery, e-commerce businesses must optimize operations.

Efficiency is becoming one of the most crucial elements of an e-commerce strategy. By prioritizing efficiency, companies can improve processes that ultimately lead to increased profitability in the long-term.

If you’re focusing on maximizing the efficiency of your e-commerce business, here are four key strategies you must consider implementing.

Photo by bongkarn thanyakij from Pexels.

1. Step up your digital marketing efforts

Digital marketing is the most crucial factor in promoting your e-commerce business. Ads must target specific customer segments, encouraging them to view your site or make purchases. Ensure that your adverts are keyword enabled and choose a strategy that’s best suited to your business. Consider cost per click (CPC) and pay per click (PPC) as two major advertising routes.

While there are many advertising and marketing options out there, e-mail is still one of the most important ways to advertise and grow.

By focusing on high-level digital strategies, you can concentrate on other areas of business with peace of mind that marketing is optimized.

2. Use a mail fulfillment service

Fulfillment efficiency can be the difference between retaining customers or losing them in the long-term. Logistics is tricky, particularly when you’re in competition with larger and more established companies. By outsourcing your marketing material fulfillment to a company such as Action-mailing.com, you can benefit from an existing specialized service, maximizing efficiency.

3. Focus on mobile customers

Modern companies must increase their focus on mobile customers. With increased reliance on smartphones, as well as the continued growth of social media, mobile customers are taking over a larger percentage of sales when it comes to e-commerce.

The company website, buyer journey, and purchasing process must be optimized for mobile customers. Advertising and marketing content must also take mobile customers into consideration. This makes for a more efficient sales process.

4. Utilize the data

No matter your industry, data should be used to gain insights into the effectiveness of your strategies. By utilizing the data provided by your website, social media channels, and digital advertising, you can spot opportunities to improve operations.

Pay attention to the data and look for ways to improve efficiency in all business functions. If the analysis tells you that customers are abandoning their carts on the second or third checkout page, perhaps you should consider streamlining the process to make it more efficient. SEOpressor.com put together a list of key tools to determine e-commerce performance.

Let data drive decision making and guide you toward being a more efficient business.

Ways to Enhance Your Business’s Premises

Two focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. A key aspect of your business for those on the outside is its appearance. Not only do you want your business to run smoothly, but you also want it’s appearance to be top notch. The following contributed post is entitled, Ways to Enhance Your Business’s Premises.

* * *

If your business’s premises are looking a little lackluster and it’s time to make some changes, we’ve got some ideas for where you should start. The place where you’re based and your team does its work needs to meet the right standards if you’re going to achieve lasting success. Here are some changes, big and small, that’ll help improve your premises and ensure your business has the foundations for success firmly in place.

Get Rid of the Clutter

First of all, you should work at getting rid of the clutter in your workplace. When you have a workplace that’s filled with junk and clutter, it stops your team from making the most of the space. It can even have an impact on the psychological side of how your employees work. Feeling overwhelmed and surrounded by clutter isn’t conducive to good work.

Create Private Spaces

Your business needs to have a range of different spaces for different kinds of work. Private spaces allow small teams to work together away from the rest of the group. Try to create an environment that can incorporate and facilitate different kinds of work. Many workplaces are simply open plan today, but that can become a problem if there aren’t private spaces too.

Get the Branding Right

Branding the workplace correctly is something that you’ll need to work on and get right. This is important if you’re regularly meeting with clients in your office because you’ll want to create a professional space that creates the right impressions. Those touches of professionalism make a difference so don’t overlook them when decorating your office and bringing it all together. It can also create a better environment for team working too.

Image Source – CC0 License

Have a High-Quality Roof Installed

Safety and long-term durability are massively important when you’re making changes two your business’s premises. You might want to explore the options offered by metal roof manufacturers and see if you can improve the structure of your premises. Of course, it’ll depend on what kind of business you run and what kind of internal space you currently operate. Ensure it offers quality and lasting durability and have it installed by professionals who know what they’re doing.

Improve Security Measures

Finally, you should start looking at ways in which you can improve the overall security measures present in your workplace. Premises that aren’t secure are always going to be seen as easy targets by burglars and criminals, so it’s important to ensure yours isn’t seen that way. Improve security and ensure it’s impenetrable at all times of day and night in order to prevent any security breaches.

As you can see, there are plenty of great ways to enhance your business’s premises. It doesn’t have to be hard work, so make the most of the tips and ideas that have been outlined above. Doing so will help you get more from your place of work and allow you to create a headquarters you can be proud of.

Are Passive Income Streams What They Seem?

A key focus of my blog is Financial Literacy/Money. An important concept for everyone to understand is that of passive income. It’s a principle that is not well understood though it is a powerful one. Passive incomes can in fact take multiple forms. The following contributed post is entitled, Are Passive Income Streams What They Seem?

* * *

What is a passive income? A passive income is money going into your account that you don’t have to work for. Instead, the money works for you in the background of your typical life routine. At least, that’s what people expect, but is this really what a passive income is? Is there anything in life where you can earn money without doing anything, literally nothing? Short of winning the lottery, we’re not so sure and even then you have to buy the ticket. Let’s dive a little deeper into this conundrum.

Pixabay CCO License

Examples Of Passive Incomes

There are numerous examples of incomes that people tend to describe as passive. For instance, you might invest in stocks. Many people often refer to this as a passive income because you buy the stock and then wait for them to hopefully rise in value. So, you’re not really doing much and still earning money. However, you can’t be completely passive here because if you are, you’ll miss out on the right time to sell.

What about the property? This is another option people suggest can be a passive income but is it really? After all, to invest in property, you need to make the purchase. You then need to decide whether you are going to let or sell. If you let, you take on all the responsibilities of a landlord and while you own it you have a lot of commitments. For instance, you’ll need to pay a rental tax. Luckily, there are companies such as https://nzrentaltax.co.nz/ that will be able to help you out here. This is one of the ways that you can keep an income passive. You can pass off the duties and responsibilities to another person or business and they will handle it for you. However, that will only be possible if your investment budget allows for this.

Pexels CCO License

Real Passive Incomes Aren’t Usually Successful

A real example of a passive income would be something like a savings account. While it’s true that you will earn additional money through interest on a savings account, it won’t be enough to make a massive difference to your earnings. It’s just a nice added bonus of choosing the right bank.

Or you could be more dramatic and suggest blogging is a passive income. But it’s not really because you need to put the time and effort into making the blog a success. If you treat a blog like a hobby rather than a business, you’re never going to earn the money that you want. You can learn more about running a successful blog on http://stuff.co.nz.

Pexels CCO License

Should You Still Search For A Passive Income?

Despite not being truly passive it is still worth looking for one of these possibilities. Essentially, what we’re talking about here is a side hustle or a secondary income that supports your primary one. You may have to put some effort in and potentially even spend money in places but experts agree everyone should have at least two incomes. It puts you in a far more secure place when dealing with future financial challenges.

How To Succeed In Agriculture

Three focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money, Business/Entrepreneurship and STEM. Agriculture is a huge business and an industry and a key component of the economy of any nation. If you’re going to launch in this business, it’s important to understand the keys to succeeding and the causes of failure. The following contributed post is entitled, How To Succeed In Agriculture.

* * *

Whenever you are looking for an industry to get involved in, you are always going to look for one that you know will probably be profitable far into the future. With something like agriculture, that is what you are always going to get. No matter what, this is the kind of business that is likely always going to help you become richer and it is therefore worth looking into. In this post, we are going to discuss how you might be able to succeed in the world of agriculture, and what it might take to do so more easily.

Source – CCO Licence

Consider The Economic Plain

First of all, you need to look into the current economic conditions and think about whether it is the right time to be starting an agricultural business, if you don’t already have one under your belt that you already look after. There is no easy right or wrong answer here: it is mostly a matter of your own consideration and looking into whether or not you are going to be able to make it profitable right now. Research what other people in the industry are doing, and you should find that this helps to give you some idea about what to do yourself.

Sourcing Supplies & Equipment

If you have decided that you can do well enough with agriculture and you are going to try and start a business, then you need to look into how and where you are going to source your supplies and equipment from. There are a lot of options you have here, but one of the most obvious and beneficial is to look into suppliers like https://pomi.dk/en/ whom you know you can trust, and whom you are going to find offering good prices for agricultural machinery of all kinds.

Source – CCO Licence

Reducing Costs

There are many costs that you might want to look into reducing too if you want to make sure that you are running your agricultural business just right. One of the most important and simplest measures that a lot of farmers end up taking, especially during times of drought, is to reduce their water usage. Not only is that beneficial for everyone and the planet, it is also an important step in making sure that you are not overspending your cash, and that is essential for running a business in a healthy and strong way. See more on this at https://bizconnect.standardbank.co.za.

Dealing With Uncertainty

Frankly, it is a fairly uncertain time for agriculture, so you need to make sure that you are thinking about what you can do to make it better. You need to look ahead and predict as well as you can, but you should also think about what you can do to bolster your business against the worst. At the moment, you need to think about covid and the possibility of a second wave, which could make things very difficult indeed. The more you think about it, the more chance you have of surviving as a business.