The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown everybody’s plans out the window. Some of us are lucky enough to still have jobs at all, or clients who still want our help. Much of those circumstances are outside of our direct control, but we still have some choice regarding how to spend our days.
We do not have any less time, though we may find ourselves with more, fewer, or at least different demands on what we need to get done each day. It may be clear to us how to evolve what we spend our time doing, but it may be difficult to decide when even the simple day-to-day can suddenly feel overwhelming.
As we cope and try to find our footing in this temporary normal, I’ve put together some tips for keeping your home business moving forward.
Tip #1: Stop trying to make money right now, because nobody is buying.
This is not an easy place to start, but the truth is that normal sales approaches and buying patterns have stopped in their tracks. If you can’t cover your mouth, clean your hands, or wipe your butt with it, people are simply not interested right now. Let’s not pretend they should be.
Now is a great time to pivot, because chances are, we are going to need to anyway. So, since we can’t make money right now, let’s ask ourselves one question: what are our businesses about other than making money?
If we have no answer, then we are probably getting what we deserve right now. And we will most certainly get what we deserve if we spend the remainder of this lockdown watching Tiger King. We must have a mission beyond making money. Find it and jump into it without the burden of a business plan (for now).
Tip #2: Do what you can to reach people and be human.
My business, Algmin Data Leadership, produces data leadership advocacy content alongside more traditional consulting offerings. The content helps build awareness and helps people get moving when they have limited resources. When larger organizations need more direct help, our higher-level speaking, training and advisory services serve their needs and helps us offset the costs of the rest.
Today, with so many people working remotely — if they are working at all — we simply cannot reach new higher-tier clients the same way. Even if we could, they have more immediate problems on their minds. So, we’ve adjusted some of our priorities.
As recently as the start of March 2020, we were planning a midyear launch of a video podcast to bring more awareness of the people and stories of data leadership to a wider audience. Data leadership is about so much more than databases and analytics. The fact is, so many people around us are using data in compelling ways to make a real difference in their careers and organizations. We felt that Algmin Data Leadership has a responsibility to bring these stories to the world.
Amidst the COVID-19 lockdown, we realized that having folks hear these inspiring stories is more important than ever. We reshuffled some of our content creation plans and expedited the release of the “Data Leadership Lessons” video podcast, which launched officially on April 2. Early feedback has been incredibly positive, and though the initiative is nearly guaranteed to be a financial loss, it is one of our proudest achievements so far.
While you might not be interested in creating a podcast, you certainly have something to offer people. Consider putting out an open offer to your network to help them during this pandemic with whatever you do, free of charge if they need it (we also did this). Right now, let’s find a way through the madness together and worry about maximizing profits later.
Tip #3: Try to find the love again.
Having our own businesses is an incredible amount of work, with the added bonus of being terrifying because we always feel like disaster is lurking right around the corner. Well, if that’s a normal day for us, just think of how much better prepared we are to deal with the disaster that actually showed up!
Too many of our colleagues, family, and friends had previously lived with the false sense of security that having a “regular job” provides. Entrepreneurs have the benefit of seeing the truth more clearly, with more opportunities to develop the grit that comes with finding our way through the chaos of self-employment.
But we probably didn’t start our businesses because we wanted a grittier, less-safe-feeling existence. We were more likely motivated because we thought we could provide something in some way better than the alternatives that existed. We were willing to take on all the chaos for the simple clarity of purpose.
Amidst the day-to-day, have we lost our grasp on the clarity we once had? Did we forget why we once took that leap of faith?
There’s no better way to find the love again than think about walking away entirely. If you still can’t find it again, then maybe you really should walk away. Everything comes to an end sometime. And with every end, comes a new beginning.
Tip #4: If you are thinking about diving into something new, go for it. Now.
The worst case is you fail doing something that you love. Is that worse than a job you don’t love failing you?
If you feel like you are bathing in time right now, then you aren’t working hard enough. Start writing, start learning, and start building something. Every day is a gift and opportunity to make our contribution to the world. Use this pause in normalcy to start doing something you always wanted to do but has taken a backseat to other priorities.
If there’s anything that the coronavirus pandemic is teaching us, it is that nothing is guaranteed, except our own eventual mortality. We should embrace this knowledge and try to do the best we possibly can, because wasting what little time we have is perhaps the worst thing we can do.
