Working on your business while you have the time
It wasn’t too long ago that many of us were probably thinking, “If only I had a few extra days to get caught up and organised.” As many of us find ourselves with a little bit more time on our hands, it can be a great opportunity to set your business up for success and enable you to hit the ground running when you’re open for business again.
At the same time, don’t put too much pressure on yourself to solve every problem right now. This time away from business as usual can also be a time for you to fully recharge on a personal level, so you’re rearing to go when the time is right.
See below for our five tips around how to make the most of this time for your business.
1. Refresh your website
Website updates tend to fall to the bottom of the to-do list, but maintaining your online presence and prioritising those changes you’ve had on your mind can do a lot of good.
Keep your website current by writing blog posts on current industry events, company news and new products and offers. From SEO to webmaster tools and creating an engaging interface, have a look at this great compilation of tips for building a strong, optimised small business website from Forbes.
Don’t have a website yet? Here’s a detailed look at the best DIY website builders on the market. Compare between them to decide which platform is best for you and you’ll be on your way in no time.
2. Dabble in some social media maintenance
If you haven’t updated your personal or business LinkedIn pages, or your other public-facing Facebook, Instagram or Google pages, now is a great time to do it. Double check that all links are still working, update photos and stay engaged with your fans and followers by replying to comments and messages.
LinkedIn offers a helpful personal branding checklist for small businesses. Evaluate your businesses’ presence against this and see how you stack up, and what might need an update.
3. Catch up on your taxes
We know, the dreaded T-word. But hear us out, this is the likely the first year you won’t have to be scrambling to pull receipts and papers together in between other urgent tasks. You can take your time and break up tasks into achievable daily or weekly blocks. Even better, reach out to online resources like Beany for help, who specialise in accounting for small businesses and already operate fully online.
4. Explore online courses to upskill
Ever wondered how to optimise your website, create quick but polished videos for social media, or how to design email marketing campaigns? There’s never been a better time to explore what you’ve been putting off or just simply haven’t had the time to do.
CRM platform Hubspot has pulled together a list of 60 online courses covering topics from content marketing to design basics that you can access for free.
If you’d like to explore beyond just business-related courses, there are hundreds of free online courses from leading international universities like Harvard and Yale covering social sciences, art and design, humanities, science and much more on Class Central. Ivy League courses without the hefty tuition? Sounds like a great deal to us.
5. Keep your business on track and prepared for what could come
When the world is ready to go back to business, you can ensure that you’ll be as ready as possible by planning for what the future could hold. Create a new budget and plan of action for the next six months to a year based on the resources, staff and capital you have available to you now. It can’t hurt to think of what the best- or worst-case scenarios could be upon reopening, and how you might be able to adapt to whatever it is. Keep an eye on the business.govt.nz website for frequent COVID-19 updates that could impact small business.
By following some of these tips, we hope you’ll be able to rest easy knowing that your business is refreshed, inspired and as prepared as it can be for what’s to come.
Have you seen our article covering resources and support you can access during the Covid-19 crisis and beyond? We’ve compiled some great info on where to find expert business advice, business forums and mentorship opportunities here.