The 5 Biggest Lessons Learned as an Entrepreneur During the Pandemic
Written by: Anna Filatova, 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.
Build a successful online business by focusing on these 5 areas.
It’s been over a year since the Pandemic hit the UK. Around the same time last year, I finally had the courage to become an entrepreneur, the dream of mine that I’ve had since I was 14.
I heard people saying that I’m crazy starting a business during the Pandemic, but the reality is that every economic downturn brings many opportunities and possibilities. It’s about finding that gap in the market and providing your customers with a solution to their current problems.
The last year has been challenging but also exciting and fun. Here are my 5 biggest lessons that I’ve learned as an entrepreneur during the Pandemic.
1) Build strong relationships.
People are everything to any small business or large organization. That includes your customers and your employees, contractors, suppliers, vendors, and anyone else who is involved in one way or another in your business operations.
By providing value and incentives to your customers, nurturing and keeping them warm, you will build strong connections and relationships, and ensure that you have a community of dedicated and involved people who will share your journey with you no matter what crisis you are in.
Being an effective leader to your team goes a long way. It’s essential to support your people with technology and tools that allow them to work efficiently from home and provide the flexibility they require while managing their work duties and family issues.
2) Learn to love social media.
Many people cringe when they hear about social media. I know it can be overwhelming, frustrating, and exhausting, but if a business has no customers, it won’t survive even if the market situation is in their favor. Social media provides a good alternative to what we used to know when business was done in person.
In the last year, many people have started spending more time online than ever before: shopping, attending different events, organizing family gatherings and working remotely. You need to find a way to attract your clients and keep those connections warm, and with access to social media, you can reach a much wider audience and use it to your advantage.
3) Be clear and transparent with your communication.
Communication is essential for many areas of our lives. Customers want to see a clear message when following their favorite brands. They want to know what has changed during the Pandemic and what is the way forward. If you communicate clearly and transparently with your customers, they will be highly engaged. The important thing here is to remind your customers how much you value them, provide incentives for their commitment and make it clear that you will get through these difficult times together.
4) Manage yourself effectively.
You’re the face of your company, and if you’re a solopreneur, you’re the company. You want to make sure that you’re not only managing your business but also yourself in terms of how you are showing up. To be successful, you need to be extremely organized with everything that is happening in your business and personal life, be committed to your own success, and take responsibility for your own actions. You need to ensure that you stay productive, efficient, and positive no matter what challenges you might face and manage your stress levels effectively.
I believe that a healthy body sustains a healthy mind, so a good practice would be to create some healthy habits and routines that could help you with high energy levels and support your mental well-being.
5) Get support.
Many entrepreneurs think that they can do everything themselves, but the truth is that you are not an expert in every field, and you won’t have enough time or energy to do everything alone. Getting support might mean different things to everyone. Some might find support networks with other business owners a perfect option. Others might need to outsource various tasks that they might not be as good at or to allow themselves to save time and energy and focus on something more important. Some entrepreneurs like the idea of partnerships to split the responsibilities, but it doesn’t suit everyone.
Hiring a coach or mentor is a great way to stay motivated and focused on your goals, overcome fear, self-sabotage, and challenges that you might be facing, and create strategies and action plans that will allow you to reach the success that you desire without feeling stuck, overwhelmed or burned out.
Anna Filatova, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Anna is the founder of Dreams and Beyond Coaching Ltd, a coaching and mentoring firm that was founded in March 2020. The company offers a variety of services including coaching, mentoring, business consulting, training, retreats, one day intensives, team coaching and personality profiling.
From a young age, Anna has been curious about learning and development and areas such as personal fulfillment, potential and success. She has always believed that people have hidden potential and by believing in them, challenging and mentoring them, she has helped a large number of individuals to thrive and achieve high results in the their careers and lives.
Anna earned a Honors BA Degree in Business Studies in International Hotel Management from National University of Ireland Galway in 2011 and a MBA for Executives with Global Perspective from London School of Commerce in 2015.
Before becoming a certified coach, Anna spent 9 years in Hotel Management and 5 years in Investment Banking. When she was 25, she had burnout that made her realize that health, well-being and work-life balance are more important than killing herself for a fast career progression.
As a Business and Success Coach, Anna helps entrepreneurs, business owners and their teams to strive for success in business and their personal lives without feeling stuck, overwhelmed and burned out. She ensures that they have all essential tools and resources for development, growth and success.
