Even though being in this situation is stressful, there are still ways you can invest in your business’s future. While some of them won’t help you increase revenue, they’ll still help you continue growing your business and improving your overall operations.
Business Tasks to Work on During COVID-19
1. Take an Educational Course
If your business is currently closed due to COVID-19, now may be a great time to take the online business course that’s been on your to-do list for months. Not only will this help you learn new information that you can put into practice, but many sites are offering free or discounted courses. Here are a few free options:
2. Read a Business Book
Because you may have some additional free time, why not tackle your reading list? There are many books out there tailored to business owners. From business marketing to leadership, now is a great time to invest in yourself as an entrepreneur. Below, you’ll find some of our reading list suggestions:
- The 10 Best Business Books for Women
- The 8 Best Business Marketing Books
- The 6 Best Business Accounting Books
- 5 Business Customer Service Books You Should Read
3. Update Your Crisis Communication Plan
Business owners around the world are being forced to adapt to unprecedented circumstances. Most businesses haven’t been forced to close their doors for extended periods of times or have never been in a situation in which they can’t operate normally. Due to this, if you haven’t already, you should be examining your crisis communication strategies.
To start, meet with your team and discuss issues that your business is facing. Are you still trying to operate, perhaps on a smaller scale? What concerns do your customers have? And how can you prepare for the future? By answering these questions, you can form a plan and delegate specific tasks to your team.
If you need additional assistance with customer communications during COVID-19, check out our full COVID-19 customer service guide.
4. Host Virtual Team Meetings
Most likely, your business’s employees are working remotely during this time. Because of this, it can be difficult to maintain company culture and morale. If you’re looking for ways to connect with your employees or find that phone calls and emails aren’t as effective, consider hosting a video meeting or happy hour.
Programs like Zoom make it easy to host video calls, and you can have as many as 100 participants (if you need more, Zoom offers add-ons). By getting to see your employees virtually, you can foster team unity in these difficult times.
Conclusion
Do you have any other suggestions on how small business owners can invest in their business during the COVID-19 shutdowns? Share them with us in the comment section below!
Editorial Note: Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author's alone, and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
