Preparing For the ReOpening

Most of America has been on lock-down for awhile.

#StayAtHome orders and #SocialDistancing along with the reminders to #WashYourHands have impacted our lives forever.

While we are all experiencing the same Coronavirus pandemic around the globe, we are all experiencing the affects on our lives differently.

I have two clients, both in the same industry that had two very dissimilar stories.  One initially laid off about a third of their team.  It was heartbreaking they told me, they’ve never had to do that before.  When I checked it with them last week however, they brought back everyone who wanted to come back due to the funding available with the legislation that was passed to help small businesses and their quick action to get approval for the funds.

The other client, in the same business, didn’t lay off anyone.  They simply switched their focus and kept everyone busy.

Then there’s the story of two of my favorite local eateries that my wife and I visit weekly.  At least we did when we were allowed to dine inside.

One of them, the Firefly originally closed for two weeks.  But then they got creative and started selling some of their baked goods for a couple of predetermined hours on the weekend.  We bought some bagels the first time, and just a few days ago they were selling their famous biscuits and gravy to go along with a whole host of other baked goods.  They started with curb-side service and now they actually have created an online store so I can order and pay ahead.  What really caught my attention was that the owners were giving all the revenue to the staff that were temporarily laid off.

The other place, Welch’s has been closed for over a month now.  The 3 main staff that we see nearly every weekend have been busy creating shutdown videos which they post everyday on Facebook.  I don’t know the details of what’s going on behind the scenes, but again, this is  reminder of some of the differences two similar businesses are experiencing.

On the employee side, some people are facing the challenges of two parents working from home with kids also at home and I’ve seen the challenges and stress this scenario creates.  There are people collecting unemployment who were suddenly laid off and now are going stir-crazy in their apartments and houses.  There are also people who were told to keep working but had their pay cut and already were living paycheck to paycheck.

As each state slowly reopens as they lift or change the Stay At Home orders, we are going to see a very different economy than we were experiencing 3 or 4  months ago.

Both consumers and the business world has been forming new habits, new routines, new experiences.

What will you be doing differently as a business owner?

What will you be doing differently as an employee?

What will you be doing differently as a consumer?

What will you be doing differently as a human being?

Next week, I’m going to remind you of some timeless truths that must be remembered when we reopen.