Still Working

The "new normal" is evolving almost by the hour. Different factors beyond our control are affecting our work pattern and how we can reach out to our existing and new clients.

Without being too political, primary school pupils were set to return to school before the end of this term, now they are not. The government announced packages to help business, but, as time went on it became apparent that many businesses are falling through the gaps of this financial support. The manner in which we meet and network has changed this year, in a few short months. Now, the forecast for the U.K. economy is all doom and gloom.

How can we survive, in business with so many external factors combining into a perfect storm that this nation, let alone the world, has not experienced since the great depression of 1929 and the subsequent world conflict of the 1940's?

As a parent whose children have fled the nest it is understandable that you may be envious of my position of being able to work child free. But, by the same token, are you envious of the fact that I am unable to see my kids and grand children and hug them, read stories to them whilst they are on my knee? When I saw my grand-daughter the other day her face when I had to ask her not to come any closer, due to social distancing, tore at my heart strings. This can affect my work and how much I can achieve.

Many of us may have situations with children that affect our day to day work patterns. Please, be assured that your clients will understand your difficulties. Explain to them your own situation. Help your clients to measure their expectations of what you can do for them and the realistic time scales involved.

If you qualify for the furloughing of staff, CBIL, the Bounce Back Loan or any other financial measure, be thankful. However, whatever is on offer will never be enough to bail out everyone. Some business owners may not qualify for any form of assistance, and this might be unjust, but, if we wish to be classed as entrepreneurs, we need to be able to stand up and be counted as such through our innovation and by being creative with our services, and what we can offer.

I assure you, both myself and my family have had to eat beans on toast during the recessions of the past when I almost lost my IFA and Mortgage broking business. However, I dug in deep and I survived.

Today, I am doing the same in my current business. I am digging in and reviewing how I can thrive and not just survive. I have reviewed my business and whether I am leveraging my time, money, resources and others effectively. this has led me to change many things within my company.

Just yesterday I was out there, shooting headshots for a client, at a social distance. I then visited a field that I had photographed when the seed drill was in action there earlier this year. The crop is now shin high and worthy of some photography for a client.

Online meetings were already possible prior to when Covid-19 came visiting. The question is why were we not utilising the tech of Zoom, Skype MS Teams and a multitude of other platforms?

Imagine how much time you and I have wasted by travelling to 1-2-1 meetings across the nation? How much energy have we wasted in anger at being stuck in a traffic jam or late for a meeting?

Yes, I prefer physical face to face networking, but, the "new normal" may become more beneficial as we balance face to face activity with time efficient online 1-2-1 meetings and networking.

It is true that our respective market places may have become smaller, yet, through our use of technology, the world has also got far smaller.

The forecast that the U.K. will face a massive downturn is just that. It is a forecast. the reality for you is down to your own preparation and your own mindset. What are you doing now, to leverage time, money, resources and others effectively? You may not currently need a bounce bank loan, but, imagine having the money available, in an investment, needing to beat a payback rate of 0% interest and then 2.5% for six years? Why would you not apply for this loan if it is available to you and you qualify. It is pretty easy to leverage this loan effectively.

As the respected serial entrepreneur, John Kettley has pointed out; as my business coach, Bayo Igoh has helped me to understand; as the author Karen Sutton-Johal clarifies in her excellent book The 4 Money Mindsets; as Jason Trafford of the B2B network Trafford Enterprises has said; as successful entrepreneur Steve Pailthorpe demonstrates; as the U.K.'s No 1 Motivational Speaker, Brad Burton has repeatedly said; how we deal with any circumstances comes down to one's own mindset and belief.

What I have learned through so many, including the founder of the faith that I adhere too, our mental approach needs to be one that we learn from the past, plan for the present, live for the future, live in the present and control the controllable.