It’s been a ‘mare of a year with the pandemic, lockdown, people out of work, companies collapsing, so, if you’ve kept your head above the water – take a bow, you deserve it.
We’ve got a new vocabulary with ‘lockdown’, ‘furlough’, ‘pivot’ and ‘PPE’ all becoming mainstream lingo. For many small business owners there’s been new ways of doing business too – what with online networking, virtual conferences, digital sales and all kinds of meeting taking place on Zoom (other video platforms are available).
But 2020 is nearly over and, while the pandemic is still likely to have an impact well into 2021, it’s a good time to take a fresh look at your plans for your business.
One plus about the enforced change in the way we live our lives has been that companies of all sizes have had to look at business differently. What used to work may not do so any longer – at the very least, you’ll have had to find new ways to get the same results.
When you’re planning for 2021 reflect on what you have learned from 2020.
- Are there other ways to carry out your business than you’ve used previously?
- Can you extend your reach geographically by using online options?
- Can your usual service or product be delivered remotely?
- Is there a way to enhance what you do with a digital addition?
- Can you add income streams with new products or a knowledge-based programme?
- Do your team need to work from the office? (and don’t forget that if they’re working from home, they need suitable equipment, computers, chair, etc. as well as digital access to shared files.)
- What new skills do you and your team need to develop to succeed?
Remember that, to achieve your goals, you need a detailed action plan with every task from who to phone, websites to research, learning to complete and anything else needed to move you one step closer to success.
Keep the list of actions somewhere you’ll see every day and put the actions into your diary to ensure they get done.
This review will help to guide your goal setting for the next 3, 6, 12 months. If you’re smart about how you use what you’ve learned in 2020, there could be a silver-lining to the pandemic cloud.
