There’s good news and bad news, but remember you’re not alone. Virtually all businesses and organizations are facing the need to reinvent themselves. As we’ve seen in the past, the greatest ideas happen during times of maximum stress. Incredible new and enhanced products and creative services have been and are becoming more visible every day. You know what they say about “necessity”, it’s time to use “the mother of invention” to strengthen and revitalize your business with amazing ideas, products and services. In years to come, we will look back and see this as the evolution of America's Version 2.0.

It’s easy to say reinvent, revitalize, and refresh your business, but business owners across the country are struggling to do just that. The good news is we’re seeing many small, medium, and enterprise organizations already rolling out amazing and novel innovations. The best advice anyone can give you is... if you haven’t started this mindset shift, start now!

• Invest your money in strengthening existing client relationships and gaining new clients. Yes, it’s time to go digital with social media in a big way with Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Twitter. If you are consumer focused, Facebook is a good start. For B2B teams, Twitter is an excellent addition, but LinkedIn is essential for all businesses. 

• Rethink your business whether it’s supporting remote working, creating a unique environment at an existing location, using online virtual events, or creating new roles for existing employees. Expand your reach and go beyond regular advertising and become active using direct email and digital communications. We’ve already seen our restaurant colleagues turn to outdoor dining, expanding takeout and curbside pickup. Our retailers creating safe shopping with ecommerce options, outdoor sales events, and following social distancing guidelines including masks, entry and exit sites. A looming consideration, for those businesses faced with winter weather, is the need to address the changes required to bring business inside or in a heated area. Continuing innovation will be vital and planning should already in progress.

• Review your website , upgrade pictures of products and services, and add ecommerce, if it fits your business model. Think about investing in a small video camera and add YouTubes to your website. And if you don’t have a website, it’s time to set one up. There are a lot of companies out there that have very simple website templates with industry themes already in place. If your budget is tight, you can set up the easy-to-use templates yourself. 

• Communicate. Your clients are craving connections with their community and their service providers. What works today in communication is simple… authenticity and honesty of your message and complete transparency. It doesn’t require a marketing expert to let people know what’s new in your business or provide simple updates on products and services, hours of operation, and new menus. The focus of the communication could be as simple as the information you would normally share with your clients in person. 

Virtually everyone is connected digitally now, it’s time to use it… and benefit from it! (One last thought, make sure you’ve set up your Google Business Profile… it will help people find you on the web.)

Hopefully, some of these thoughts will be useful as you grow your business... but I’d like you to share your thoughts. Sharing ideas and asking questions will help the entire business community as we create a fresh path in this new normal.

• What’s worked for your company?
•  What hasn’t worked?
• Ask questions, perhaps we can all help!