At a time when the world seems to be closing down it seems strange to think about entrepreneurship. And yet there are some things that we can be doing as we are forced to sit at home.
The first things we are seeing happen is for businesses ramping up their online presence. Many people are either committing entirely to their existing online shop, while others are quickly establishing online ordering.
At the end of the pandemic it is likely that many businesses will continue to work this way and insistence on isolation for many people is forcing the consumer to come to terms with online shopping.
Whether food shopping, general items from stores like IKEA, medicines or takeaways, people are realising that those time consuming outings, dragging around stores is not always necessary.
This move to online will also make businesses rethink their need for a property-based business. Buildings and the attached expenditure are expensive parts of the overhead. Perhaps facilities can be reduced even if a physical presence is required.
One thing entrepreneurs working from home need to do is to ensure that they structure their day. If you don’t have the physical responsibility of getting up, showering, dressing smart and going to see customers it is easy to fall into bad habits.
Home workers need to make sure that they set start and finish times to their days and take coffee and lunch breaks so that the business doesn’t become all embracing.
Isolation itself can be a problem. Now is the time to dispense with the telephone and start using one of the video calling facilities so that you get to see another human face.
Clearly it is likely that there will be less to do than if you were operating in a burgeoning economy. However, the thing to do is to keep your creative thinking alive.
You should use the time to do something creative. Cooking is a good way to hone new skills and to ensure you eat healthily. In fact someone said that this pandemic will produce two types; better cooks and alcoholics!!
Another thing to do is to put aside some time each day or week to do that blue sky thinking that you had always promised yourself. Think of ways to improve the business when this is all over. Think about how your business can change to embrace the need for more environmental solutions.
Of course, most of this advice is also relevant to people at home that are not entrepreneurs at present. Now is the time to start thinking about that business you have always wanted to run. You can do plenty of research on line and you can still get advice via social media.
I am sitting here writing this following an indefinite isolation here in Turkey because of age. Thank goodness the apartment has a balcony so that I can visit the outside world. But is does allow me to experience the same problems and the need to start using things like on line shopping.
So, partly for selfish reasons and partly because I still like to help, if there is a business or a potential business that wants to chat things over then drop me an email on rogercowdrey@aol.com and I will willingly give you my services for free.
Finally, for those that are dreading the idea of being cut off from the rest of the world let me pass on a thought I saw recently. Your grandparents and great-grandparents fought in Two World Wars. You are being asked to wash your hands and sit on the couch! Don’t screw it up!!
