It has been two of the most challenging years in modern history for businesses of all sizes. Although small businesses were probably hit the hardest, even large multi-national conglomerates felt the crunch brought about by a global pandemic. There isn’t one business on the face of the earth that can honestly say they felt no loss whatsoever due to massively regulated restrictions.
While the nation mourns its losses in terms of human lives, businesses that survived recognize this as a learning experience for everyone. They may have been spared bankruptcy to date, but as they have seen, all that could change in the blink of an eye. With that in mind, remember that like the Phoenix, from the trials of fire comes new life and that is what we should be focusing on going into 2022. Let’s look forward to new life infused into our economy with the help of the internet that is everywhere, especially where we can’t be!
1. Land-Based Businesses Branching Out into a Digital World
Many parts of the country have been experiencing shut down after shut down to the point where they wonder if they will ever be able to open their doors again to business. Just as it seems like the numbers are plateauing, they start spiking again. Governors shut their states down again and they’re back at square one, wishing they had someone coming in the door, all the while knowing that would be a dangerous scenario. Many of those small businesses that survived did so by opening an online storefront to capture an audience they wouldn’t otherwise be able to get. Not only did this bring in revenue but it showed them that there is an alternate route that can be called upon and is now part of their business model.
2. Turning More Toward a Remote Workforce
Those businesses that have the capability of allowing some of their workforce to work from home made out fairly well. Other businesses just didn’t have the workforce capable of working from a remote site and so they had to be laid off during this time. If you have any jobs that can just as easily be done from home, you might want to take advantage of that going forward. It really is a cost-effective way to get the job done. A remote workforce means that less money is being spent on the upkeep of a land-based facility.
3. If at First You Don’t Succeed – Outsource
This focus on a remote workforce led many business owners to question whether or not any other functions can be done remotely and if so, could they be outsourced? Over the past year, Utah based G&A Partners found that there was a huge demand for outsourced HR largely due to the pandemic. While many smaller businesses just didn’t have the technology to set up HR from a remote site, those that did or outsourced their HR continued to operate, business as usual, waiting for shutdowns to be lifted. As a result, it became necessary to find HR support staff who could work remotely but still maintain a working relationship with each and every employee still on the books. Unfortunately, many HR teams were simply disbanded. The good news for employers is that highly trained professional HR teams are set up to handle outsourced functions, so businesses can continue to operate as usual. Some have made the transition to outsourced HR going forward.
4. Get Up and Get Social – Media That Is!
If there is one mega benefit to be found on the internet, it would be social marketing. Who in this world isn’t active on one or more social sites? With Facebook being the largest social media platform and YouTube right behind them, it’s a ready-made market to tap into. Small businesses seeking a customer base turned to social media market influencers and actually saw their bottom line rising above pre-pandemic days. If you don’t have a business social profile, this would be a good time to get your name out there. While the competitors are still losing business, you can be reaping the benefits of an ever-growing customer base.
So then, which of these amazing ways to use the internet to grow your small business are you most interested in for the coming year? There really aren’t so many, so try them all!
