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Have you pivoted your business in response to COVID-19?

CamilleB_09CamilleB_09 Member Posts: 1 admin

With our world impacted by the spread of the coronavirus, we've all had to adapt to change. We're looking to our community of small business owners to find those who have completely pivoted or in some way reimagined their business model in response to COVID-19. Whether you're consulting other entrepreneurs on navigating through these tough times, creating hand sanitizer or masks, or decided to take this time to change your business model - we want to hear from you!

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    Threads_and_DecorThreads_and_Decor Member Posts: 1

    I am making a plan to amp up my website, make a schedule for social media, advertising and LIVE SALE videos. I am also investing in better cameras for product display online and even a tripod with a remote. These things will allow me to work alone as to not put any staff at risk of the virus. I am also ordering banners to explain rules and instructions for extended curbside pick up and online shopping. This may be the way I do business with limited hours until i feel safe in my own community...

    As of today I was offering curbside, home delivery and free shipping for all purchases over $25. TODAY my home town was just hit with a huge influx of COVID-19 cases that were hiding in the local packing plant. This makes me fearful to even go to the grocery store let alone even thinking about re-opening my store as of May 1st. I actually don't want to send my kids to school let alone put me, my kids & family or the families that shop in my store at risk of contacting COVID-19. This is a hard decision against financial ruin or my family's health.

    I own an upscale consignment shop in a town of 15000 people. I was closed down on March 27th by the Mn Governor. Up until today I have been forced to get very creative with my marketing and Sales. I am now on Instagram and Facebook more than ever and the only way I am making sales is by doing LIVE Sales on Social Media and Personal Shopping for families with children.

    I have started an online Website which is in addition on Posh mark and Facebook market place BUT there are no sales being generated from this effort. One weeks worth of work is only equivalent to one day's worth of regular income. I feel defeated as a small business owner but I don't have the heart to give up so i show up each day to try again...After home schooling my kids of course...

    Don't be too proud to admit you need help. May the help be needed for... finances (I personally don't recommend loans at this time because small business income is unknown at this time), differed payments, cancellation of services for a short period, suspend utilities, take off auto payments until you have income, pay what you can today but First and Foremost....Take care of your family. Revenue will never be able to fill the void if you lose a family member during this time.

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    BridgitteBridgitte Member Posts: 3 
     I have a personal life coaching and counseling business that I have been planning to transition to a virtual practice.  I thought it would be a nice retirement plan to keep money coming in until at least when I can collect SS at 67 or longer.
 have been learning and planning for almost a year.  It has been a challenge to do since some insurance companies would cover the services and others would not, to get new clients to trust that they will enjoy this new way of providing support, and to make all of the updates to my program, technology, forms etc. (still working on it).  POOF overnight both my full-time day job and my coaching/counseling business for retirement are 100% virtual.  It has been crazy trying to keep up with all of the changes/updates from many sources, helping others to use the services, and  learning new technologies.
 Now I am wondering if I will even go back to my day job.  I am having a difficult time deciding whether to go out now and go full time working for myself or wait three years to obtain 75% payment of my health insurance.  If I leave now they will pay 50% which results in my paying an extra $300.00 per month for 6 years until I qualify for medicare then it will be less.
 Then all three of my partners in my counseling practice decided they will retire in two years.  I now have to choose if I want to take over the business along with my virtual practice.

    I would either have to rent out 3 offices, hire employees or just stay with my original plan on being a 100% virtual practice. At first I was going to turn it down but then I realized I should at least study the idea. They would be turning over the entire practice to me at no cost, let me start building it up before they retire with discounted rent, and provide business coaching while I go through the transition. (website, advertising, recognized name in the community, current rental space, 3 fully furnished offices and all supplies)
    If anyone has any ideas on how to do a cost benefit analysis on this decision it would be greatly appreciated. My skills are much stronger on the helping people side than on the business analysis side.
    Thinking about the pandemic and how we may be going in and out of social distancing for the next few years makes me even more cautious about having an office space. It is wonderful to be able to work from home (or anywhere else you choose) but is is also isolating not having your work colleagues around you. Thank you for listening, this has been a most interesting and strange process that we are all going through. This is something people will be talking about for the next 100+ years. Best wishes to all of you who are struggling through this difficult time.

    edited April 23, 2020
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    BridgitteBridgitte Member Posts: 3

    Sooooon not sure what happened with that post I just made above. Obviously I am still learning technology. It is a struggle. LOL!

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    CMandiaCMandia Member Posts: 4
    Like most others in here the time at home has allowed me to evaluate my clients more closely and offer more value add services and try out new potential/future service lines
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    _Chris_Francis_Chris_Francis Member Posts: 1

    I am a video producer & cinematographer and my business came to a screeching halt because my wife and I both tested positive for Covid-19. We've been stuck at home for the past month, so I decided to make a documentary about our journey and how we're trying to make the best of our situation: https://MakingLemonade.Film.

    Pivoting from client work to my own original content has been so life giving. Even though we're battling the virus, this has been the most passionate I've been about my work in a long time!

    If you'd like to follow along with our journey visit: https://MakingLemonade.Film

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    NicoleAWTNicoleAWT Member Posts: 2

    What a fun thread to follow! We have two period-specific projects going at the moment:

    At Asheville Wellness Tours, we thought long and hard about the question "how can we help?" Ultimately, we realized that we have incredible resources in our community of local wellness partners and the answer was obvious...we should share it!! To that end, we created a complementary video series "Bite-Sized Moments of Zen": https://youtu.be/8-YQ7SYXCmk. Each episode features a local wellness expert who shares a 15 - 30 min practice we can all participate in wherever we are and whenever we can fit it in. From our living rooms in Asheville to yours, we're excited to share! Upcoming episodes will feature dance instructors, artists, musicians, meditation, yoga, cooking demonstrations, mental health counselors, and even an image consultant! There are so many lovely paths you can take to approach this idea of "wellness" and we're thrilled to offer up a sampler of options for folks to explore. We hope to "see" you there!

    We're also thrilled to be able to offer many of our private group experiences virtually (https://ashevillewellnesstours.com/virtual-group-experiences/)! One of our core values is Connection and we're grateful to be able to continue to foster connections even while we're separated. Private groups can book at their convenience and enjoy a group Tarot Reading, Cooking Class, Dance Session, Meditation, or Yoga Class together...no matter how far apart they may be. These group experiences are a lovely way to invite a bit of Asheville's eclectic vibe into your space plus connect over shared experiences while leaving the details to us! These Virtual Group Experiences are a great option for corporate teams interested in adding a creative element to their company zoom meetings to foster engagement and focus or friend/family groups celebrating milestones from afar. At the end of the day, we're so grateful to continue to witness and support connection, especially critical in chaotic times like these.

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    ABNWorksABNWorks Member Posts: 1

    This is a great thread! Props to all the entrepreneurs & small businesses helping out.
    We are small web development & design firm based in Edmonton, Alberta - serving both national and international clients.


    We put together a plan as a response to COVID-19 to help both our existing and new clients. Here is a quick summary of it:





    We've had an overwhelming response from our clients expressing their appreciation and acknowledging our response in a positive manner.


    Here at ABNWorks, we've always strived to place the customer first and this is what we are able to do during this time where everyone may need a break.


    We hope to continue serving our clients in the best way possible. If you are looking for a web developer/designer, feel free to give us a shout - https://abnworks.com/ :smile:


    Stay safe!

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    RobCRobC Member Posts: 7

    These are great!

    As a home-based small graphic design business, the stay-at-home order hasn't affected me much, but the it sure has affected my clients! It's hard to see your friends, colleagues, and clients scrambling to a adapt to a new way of doing things, but it also meant I also had to quickly adapt to their new immediate needs for signs and graphics.

    I also took this as a unique opportunity to reach out to school districts to help honor graduating seniors. The seniors have missed out on so much this year--sports, prom, graduation--so I designed personalized yard signs for each grad. It means 300 unique signs for a graduating class of 300! Reception to the idea has been great, even as we work out the logistics of transferring 300 senior pictures.

    ....................................................
    rob cummings, designer
    studio equis, llc
    313 530 8002

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    Big_Rig_WrapsBig_Rig_Wraps Member Posts: 0

    On April 8th 2020, we launched the “Stay Home Save Lives Mobile Campaign.” The campaign consists of 53 ft trailers wrapped with public service messaging about COVID-19. The purpose of this initiative is to support provincial and federal efforts to raise awareness about how staying home can have a profound impact and help to flatten the curve and save lives. Please read more here: https://bigrigwraps.ca/stay-home-save-lives-campaign/

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    Leaf_MarketingLeaf_Marketing Member Posts: 2

    I was stood down/furloughed from my full-time marketing role. So my pivot was to use that time to start a completely new business.

    I started Leaf Marketing just over a month ago. I am based in Perth, Western Australia and have grown a client base both in Australia and overseas. I have been assisting some other new businesses get underway with their marketing. I have also been assisting existing businesses who are re-imagining their business model due to Covid-19.

    The most popular service has been setting up email templates and automation workflows in Mailchimp. I have also been providing web design and graphic design services.

    I have been really impressed with Wave, it is easy to use and provides so much at no cost.

    edited May 14, 2020
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    lecirlecir Member Posts: 8

    My name is Wayan Wira from Bali - Indonesia. My island was hit really hard by these situations. In Bali mainly the business relies on the tourism industry.

    I have 2 barbershops that focusing on the tourists market, one shop has temporarily closed down. While the other shop is on open half day from 10 am to 5 PM.

    What I did now to survive is maximizing asset that we had, we used to have 7 barber man. But now only one guy left. We offer barber to home service, we have lost money from the rent already, as rent in my country system is paid upfront for couple of years, usually a minimum of 2 years. This period of time had made me learn more everything online. The most important thing is to learn to be more patient and relax. Thanx to Wave to make my numbers more efficient, easy to read, and free!

    Greetings from Bali

    Wayan Wira at www.sharpedge.me

    edited May 18, 2020
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    Acts_and_CoActs_and_Co Member Posts: 2

    I am working to improve social media profile and build up a website and looking for more potential clients to grow my start up.

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    KaileyOliverKaileyOliver Member Posts: 1

    Due to covid, several businesses have pivoted or are deciding whether they should pivot or not. These are incredibly difficult decisions to make to say the least.

    Even in these uncertain times, all of us should try to take care of our customers and continue to build long term relationships with our clients. Putting customers first, keeping communication channels open using live chat app, and being proactive is the only way to give businesses some form of normality.

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    Richard_GondranRichard_Gondran Member Posts: 1

    @CMandia said:
    Like most others in here the time at home has allowed me to evaluate my clients more closely and offer more value add services and try out new potential/future service lines

    Not bad!

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    AccountsProAccountsPro Member Posts: 103 ✭✭

    HAPPY PROBLEM SOLVER

    Although I have an accounting practice, I view myself as a problem solver for business people. This is probably due to the fact that I also have a few decades of business experience as well as accounting.

    When COVID hit us and lockdown spread, I immediately realised that businesses need as much help as possible moving their businesses into a new era, where they can continue to operate and produce income.

    I used COVID-19 lockdown to move my business to 100% cloud-based.

    I now hold free online webinars showing people how they can adapt and evolve so that they can continue trading within the restrictions imposed on their respective countries. This has produced much excitment and direction, and in some cases pure joy - to those who had no clue how to proceed.

    edited July 25, 2020
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