Are you really doing whatever it takes?

How are you coping with life’s total transformation?

How do you feel when you wake up in the morning knowing that today will be nothing like you might have anticipated, even two months back? Many people I have spoken with say that they cannot contemplate the future but are taking one day at a time. This is understandable, but business people need to focus on the road ahead, and yes, it’s terrifying, but potentially very exciting.

All across social media we were used to adages such as:

 ‘Do something that scares you every day!’ 

We haven’t seen many of those memes, post-lockdown, and that’s probably because we are all scared most of the time! However, that is never going to put food on the table and this week I have been thinking about what people around me are doing to shape their futures and wrestle back a vestige of control from Covid 19.

Have you reached out to your supply chain?

I live in a village and we are lucky enough to have a very successful gastro pub in the midst of the community. Well, at least we did have a gastro pub until everything was forced to close. You might wonder what the owner is doing with all his spare time. Well, the answer is: selling fruit and vegetables! This might look like a 360 degree turn but it makes perfect sense. Our pub owner wanted to support his own very important supply chain and the way to do that was to keep ordering but selling in a different way. He has the capacity to offer much needed fruit and veg to a supportive and grateful community while remaining in touch with the dedicated suppliers that have underscored business success in the past.

I guess this is about more than just self-preservation.

We have talked endlessly about shopping more locally, keeping an eye on food miles and supporting community growers. This is an ideal opportunity to put that kind of philosophy into practice and I really applaud that amazing approach. In fact, fruit and veg wholesalers have been run off their feet all over the country. We now need to take one step back and consider how we might all help gathering in the crops and ensuring the supply chain doesn’t break.p

From Toilet Tissue to Strong Plain Flour

This week Tesco has announced 1 million online delivery slots have become available, but demand is still outstripping demand. It appears we have all gone back to old habits and shopping in bulk once a week. This is where behaviours have also changed. There’s far more home cooking going on and both flour and dried yeast have outstripped toilet tissue in terms of scarcity value. It will be very interesting to see what other behaviours emerge or cease as the months pass.

My New Recruitment Services

On a personal note, as an executive recruiter in the food and drink industry, I knew my business model would have to be tweaked. In the last couple of weeks, I have added more services to my offering. I know that there are roles available, and more will come on stream as lockdown is loosened. However, the competition will be great. Therefore we all need to prove our worth to be able to stand out from the crowd. That’s why our Executive CV writing service has been launched. Why not give me a call and have a chat about your CV? The number is at the end of this article.

You wouldn’t go into a meeting with a handmade business card would you?

We offer a full content writing package for your CV, Executive Biography and LinkedIn profile, helping you to present yourself as the number one candidate for the role you are apply for. Many people are taking the time to review their career options and now is a great time to start looking at ways to position yourself favourably in the market place.

For me the keys are very much agility, flexibility and creativity.

It’s obvious the old normal is no longer relevant and those who are quick to adapt and evolve will survive. High street shops will do well to open virtually for a short period every day focusing on different product lines that people can purchase remotely. It’s an opportunity to engage once more with local or artisan retailers.

What I do know is that we all need support.

This is a chance to put differences aside, pool resources, brain power and solutions. How can we work together and thrive? My local pub owner has moved swiftly to rise from the ashes, and he is an inspiration to all businesses: adapt or fail. What are you doing to transform what you do and how are you doing it?