What Businesses Have Learned From the COVID-19 Pandemic

The sudden onset of the COVID-19 pandemic hit countless businesses with closures, major workplace changes, and overall uncertainty. With lockdowns and government restrictions, many businesses have not been able to operate as usual, resulting in the need to shift and restructure. Many businesses failed to survive, while others flourished. With such an unpredictable event, majority of business owners were not prepared for the sudden disruption. However, the pandemic has enlightened many entrepreneurs and their operations. Here are some top lessons that businesses have learned from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Always Have A Backup Plan
Although many businesses often have a plan B, it is quite difficult to plan for unimaginable scenarios, such as country wide lockdowns. However, by going through this pandemic and having extreme events of uncertainty, business owners have learned the importance of being ready for worst case situations. The COVID-19 pandemic was unthinkable, nevertheless there is always a chance of incidents that can hit businesses hard again. It is best to be safe and prepared by creating back up plans and revisiting them every few months in order to have those secondary options ready to go in the case of any other hard business knockouts. 

Pivot When Needed
The COVID-19 pandemic has made many original business models unsustainable. Depending on what industry you are in, you must figure out how to continue running your business with all the barriers in between. Let's take a look at restaurants as an example. During the warmer months when restrictions of gathering began to ease, but indoor dining remained prohibited, many restaurants offered outdoor dining options. We saw restaurants opening new patios, even if it meant extending into parking lots and roads. To be weather permitting, many restaurants implemented tents and heaters to create a comfortable environment for their customers. Although indoor dining was restricted, restaurants pivoted and offered alternative solutions for costumers to still be able to enjoy their restaurant, even if it wasn’t the usual experience. 

Thinking Outside of the Box for New Options
Many service businesses, such as salons and spas, that primarily run their business by having customers come into their physical location have struggled hard during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it was possible for these businesses to move forward even with the current restrictions. For example, creating an e-commerce store to allow customers to purchase products to continue their regime at home has been a solution for many. Although many services can only be done by qualified professionals, it did not mean that salons and spas couldn’t offer new options for customers that would still provide them needed solutions.

Businesses have learnt a lot from the hit of the COVID-19 pandemic and will continue to generate new solutions as it continues to affect us. At Infoempire, we offer solutions for your business, such as e-commerce, virtual video consultation, marketing, and web design. Contact us today to speak with a representative about solutions we can offer for your business.