Lockdown or Breakdown? What does this mean for small business owners?
Written by: Serena Fordham, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
As we head into our second lockdown since Covid-19 hit the UK back in March 2020, many business owners are concerned as to what the future of their businesses looks like.
Back in April 2020, HER Business Revolution asked our community of female small business owners how they felt their business would fare over the coming months, and responses showed that these women were divided into two camps as to their feelings towards how lockdown would impact their business; both in the short and long-term.
The same feelings are being shown again as we head into the second lockdown. Even though some businesses have already developed and evolved to continue to deliver their products and services online, others who had reopened in their face-to-face format are now forced to close once more due to the pandemic.
So, those two camps I talked about. The female business owners we spoke to generally fell into two categories:
1) Those who quickly identified what problems they had to overcome to continue business during this time, then brainstormed ideas and evolved their businesses as a result (or if they were unable to adapt used the time to train, plan and develop!) and;
2) Those who felt sorry for themselves constantly complained and did nothing.
And following the first lockdown, guess which one of these business people came out stronger and more successful???
Of course, you guessed right - business owner number one!
At HER Business Revolution, we believe that the mindset and well-being of a business owner/leader are just as important as their business strategy; therefore, changing the way the second lockdown is viewed can change the whole situation and allow businesses to evolve and adapt to survive and prosper.
For example, rather than spending energy complaining, a make-up artist could offer one-to-one make-up lessons or group tutorials via Zoom/Skype/etc., or do Facebook/Instagram live videos to remain visible and grow their mailing list ready for post-lockdown? And if business owners can’t physically take their business online (i.e., hairdresser, tradesman, or travel agent), they could use this time to grow their mailing list and social media followers for the future success of their business or train in something new to help grow their business in the future.
If you are a business owner and are spending your time focusing on the negatives of this second lockdown (rather than looking at the problems and adapting to solve them), then I’m sad to say that it is unlikely that your business will survive past this next lockdown phase. Especially as moaning and groaning will have no positive effect on your life or business. Instead, as business owners are bosses of their own destiny, then adapting a flexible mindset and trying new things in business will allow owners to take back control of the path their businesses will take.
So, if you are finding that you are in that place of worry for the future of your business, you are now at a crossroads and have a choice - so choose to stop using your energy to worry and instead focus on working on your mindset and wellbeing, so you are in the best mind-frame to take positive action to move your business forwards. And ultimately, our advice is to BE STRONG, ADAPT, EVOLVE AND DIVERSITY TO SURVIVE AND THRIVE, plus seek support from a coach, mentor, or business support organization (like us!). If you are interested in speaking at, or attending, any of our events to train, inspire and empower female small business owners, please get in touch through www.herbusinessrevolution.biz & follow me on Facebook
Serena Fordham, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Serena is an expert Business Strategist, Growth/Development and Empowerment Mentor to Female Entrepreneurs, as well as a best-selling Author, Speaker, Entrepreneur, and successful multiple Business Owner. Her main passion is offering business strategies, support, and empowerment to ambitious and high vibe business women both locally and internationally – through HER Business Revolution at www.herbusinessrevolution.biz. She is also known for her organization skills through owning Glow Virtual Assistants and for her support of women and child-related charities (also founding two charitable initiatives – Mums Empowerment Movement and SociaBubble)
