COVID19 Related Business Blogs

The Four Types of Business Valuations

The Four Types of Business Valuations

There are many reasons for getting a Business Valuation, from the outright Sale of the business, to Buy-Sell agreements, to Mergers, or even Liquidation in the worst case.  And just like getting an appraisal for a home mortgage financing, there are different types of valuations depending on the intended use…
Treat Your Team to Great Leadership

Treat Your Team to Great Leadership

If you are like most business owners, then you believe that your team deserves great leadership.  The trick is to really understand what kind of leadership your team needs and deserves.  There are many excellent books on leadership out there; they all tell a similar story and deliver a familiar…
The Cycle of Business

The Cycle of Business

Many business owners find themselves in the trap of trying to do too much and not allowing their team to help them.  This is probably the single biggest inhibitor to growth that I have witnessed over the last nineteen years of coaching businesses – the failure of the owner to…
Effective Change for Business Growth

Effective Change for Business Growth

If I had to choose one word to describe the last few years, it would be disruptive.  The nature of a disruption does give us an opportunity for at least one thing – Change.  The word we kept hearing was pivot: the need to shift our focus, products, delivery methods,…
We're Not Done Yet

We're Not Done Yet

Have you given up the goals and plans you had at the start of the year? It’s not too late. The year is winding down, but we’re not done yet! Every quarter, including Q4, you should be creating a 90-Day Business Plan. It’s a chance to get re-focused on your…
How to be a Great Delegator

How to be a Great Delegator

As we grow our businesses, we need to grow our teams, and with that growth comes both excitement and fear.  One of the most common growth challenges I hear about is that owners/leaders struggle with delegation, and if they can’t get their team to do what they ask, they might…

Leadership Tips during the Crisis

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How to Run a Tight Ship during the Crisis

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A Pandemic Business Checklist By ActionCOACH Doug Winnie

This article is meant to be a simple checklist to review and consider during times of challenges, specifically for the Covid-19 Pandemic which is affecting global operations. The document is not all-inclusive with many areas of business not addressed. Additional discussions should occur with all areas of a business, including human resources, regarding the actual situation occurring in your business and with your team.

  • First, don’t panic. Think calm, cool, collective thoughts; this checklist will help. Read it completely before taking action, then act, DON’T over think.  Communication is one area that needs to occur quickly in any panic situation.
  • Don’t argue with facts. The fact of a pandemic is fact, not hearsay. This means that yes, other factors make this situation seem stupid or silly. The fact is the news, the politicians, even local and global leaders will do things that don’t make logical sense, yet they still do what they do, likely to make the matters worse, not better.  The situation will change, the rules will change; learn the new rules and play your business game based on the new rules.
  • Put your personal care first.  Be sure you are healthy; physically, mentally, and financially.  This is critical as you are the driver of your bus. You can’t help others if you are challenged in these areas.  This is a very big area and without minimizing the importance be sure this is done before working on the other items.
  • Understand your supply chain.  You have a full supply chain, from acquisition to distribution to consider, let’s start with distribution.
  • Does your distribution model need to be changed?  With this pandemic, or other supply chain issues, you might need to change the way you distribute (or sell or deliver).  Do you need to deliver the product/service in a different model?  Will your customer buy the product the same way?   Don’t wait for the customer to find alternative sources.  By the way, don’t try to argue with the logic of the situation – if the situation is global panic or global recession, you won’t win the argument regardless of irrationality.
  • Getting your product/inventory. Do you have to find product someplace different than your prior sources? In many situations the primary source for product or inventory no longer can provide the quantity or timely delivery.  This may be an opportunity to make a change that was already needed.
  • Operationally what is the weakest link? If you step back (and up to 30,000 feet) and look at your entire operation, where is the greatest point of single failure? For some it will be sales, others it is creating the widget (product or service), and others it is getting the team to do the work.  Can technology or another solution eliminate or minimize this greatest single point of failure?
  • Finance challenge or opportunity? In some cases, you may have the ability to leverage debt at a lower cost, meaning this pandemic could be very beneficial. Re-financing debt at a lower cost is a frequent opportunity that can be a huge benefit. A decrease in cash flow that comes from slow payments (higher accounts receivable) might mean a greater use of borrowed capital.  A disaster/pandemic or other type of “emergency” as defined by local or national governments frequently frees up large amounts of cash to keep economies stable. Whether a hurricane, tornado, floods, fires, or a pandemic, look for finance to be an opportunity that occurs rarely yet is a clear opportunity if you are prepared.
  • Your team’s morale is crucial! Given the situation is likely “dire” in the eyes of the news media, communicating your business changes to the team becomes critical. Without communication the FUD Factor kicks in (fear, uncertainty, and doubt), which means panic can escalate. In this case, no news from the leadership is news itself – not good news either.
  • You had better keep selling, and you better keep marketing. People will still buy product and services. There will be taxes due, and restaurants open, and travel happening. Those who market and sell better than their competition will be the winners long term. This is an opportunity to take customers from the competition.  You might want to change your marketing messaging to help customers continue to do business with you. You might want to help your customers understand now is even a great opportunity to do business with you. Are there opportunities due to the situation that allow you to increase your marketing and sales efforts? Look for the silver lining – I suspect there are several!

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