Transitioning Back to Reality

With Michigan slowly reopening, it’s time to design your plan to transition to “back to work.” Things will not return to normal, maybe not ever. It’s a great opportunity to see what you can change for you, your employees, and your customers.

Quarterly Plan

Plan for disruptions for the next year. Set specific goals for each quarter to get your company up and operational. Small businesses are facing  unproportional financial discrepancies.

Here are some questions you can ask yourself and your team during this time to help set goals:

-Realistically, how long can your company survive if operating circumstances stay the same?

-When would you need to be fully operational at the latest?

-What are your employees worried about when it comes to either going back to work or transitioning from home to office?

-What cuts did you make as a small business that NEED to be re-implemented? I.e., employees, equipment, order load.

-What cuts did you make that actually streamlined your processes? I.e., meeting frequencies, order of command, working hours.

-Where are the holes in your procedures that made transitioning difficult?

-How can you assist your employees if your small business remains closed or hours need to be cut?

-What are the things you have thought about changing about how your business runs, but never did?

-How can you implement the changes while transitioning?

-What would stop you from making positive changes to your business over the next year of growth and adjustment?

This is a time that can make or break a small business. Now is the time to improve your plans, procedures, communication, and team to come out on the other side of this better than you were before.

Technology

If you have built up a digital brand while staying at home, keep that momentum going. Consider investing in a marketing professional or investing more in the team you have.

On the hardware side of technology, how up to date are your systems at the office? Do you have an IT department or team? During the transitional phase, take a look on what tech you can improve in the office. Faster tech can improve transition speed.

Webinars are flooding the internet. Use them for team training. Use them to see how other companies are handling the stay at home orders. Use them to stay informed. Use them to find resources for your small business.

Free Ideas

Due to the financial strain on small business, spending, hiring, and marketing might not make sense at first.

What you can do is be kind, be understanding, and be willing to change.

It takes a strong leader to keep up morale with a virtual team.