7 Service-Based Business Supplements During Covid

Hey Service-based Business Friends,

I've had every speaking engagement cancelled or postponed. And like me, you may be wondering and thinking…restaurants are supplementing income with drive-thru and carry-out orders and makers and retailers with online orders but how do I, as a service-based business, supplement my income during social distancing? Here are some things I plan to try, maybe you can try a few on for size.

1). Join a collective. There are many local and regional collectives banning together to raise money for service-based businesses. Most are teaming up with local print shops to create t-shirts for service-based companies and every t-shirt purchased benefits a local business.

2). Offer order now/pay later services or sell gift cards for future services. Aestheticians are doing this, photographers and videographers, nail techs and beauticians and other service-based businesses. For public speakers, this may not be as easy but try pitching a discounted speaking fee if companies book you during quarantine. Ps…for service-based businesses that have products on Shopify, Shopify has temporarily added a gift card option to all subscriptions.

3). Sell an online course or e-book but make it fun. People are at home with more free time than they have had in a longgggg time. And as much as they’d like to focus on productivity, all they really want at the moment is a fun activity. So, your course on growing their side business and revamping their brand may not fully land. How can you deliver the content in a fun way that solves the problems they are having today? Think edutainment aka education that entertains.

4). Start a challenge. I have seen this method used by trainers and gyms to pay their bills. They have fitness challenges that people can buy into to hold them accountable. At the end of the challenge, a winner gets a part of the proceeds and the trainer and gym keeps the remaining.

5). Teach donation-based classes via Live but please keep in mind how and why people are currently consuming content. I have seen a lot of service-based businesses struggle with this. Reason 1: they make it too difficult for patrons to donate and join. They send you to Twitter, Sqaure, IG, TikTok, Zoom and everywhere in between. Keep it easy.

Setup a ‘NO MORE THAN’ two-step process, one step if you can. Reason 2: they take people away from the apps and tools they already use. Most people are on IG, Facebook, TikTok and LinkedIn so don’t forget this when setting up your donation-based class system. And if you do take them away, make it worth their stay. 

6). Temporarily change your target market. A lot of corporations hire consultants and contractors in place of full-time employees during times of uncertainty. If you are a B2C service-based business, is there any way you can temporarily switch to B2B?

7). And if you don’t have success with any of these…get a side hustle. Your customers may not be buying but that doesn’t mean companies aren’t hiring, and in the meantime, keep your customers engaged with content and check-ins so that you are top of mind when all of this ends.

Bonus: when revenue isn’t coming in, another option is to decrease your expenses. Rumor has it, Adobe is offering a few months of free services, there’s SBA emergency funding loans and government assistance, local grants, funds and coalitions like the Gateway Resilience Fund, Audible has free titles, Spectrum and internet companies are waiving fees for those in need and some neighborhood associations are providing gift cards for free groceries. Use your resources friends and don’t forget to put your student loans on forbearance while you’re at it.

We will get through this!

Your friend,

Keisha