How Businesses Can Still Run While Covid-19 Is Out There

As COVID-19 continues to make its rounds across the globe, businesses are scrambling to figure out what to do next. Every single country has faced some sort of lockdown. Some have done pretty well, while others are still in the thick of it. In the United States, however, the staggering response and continual opening and closing have not been kind to local businesses. There are, however, plenty of options for business to stay operational during this time. It takes a bit of slick marketing and solid safety precautions, but there are ways.

How you go about doing this relies heavily on your industry and your workspace. These are not, however, not total hindrances. If you've been hit by this Coronavirus, here's how you can keep the shop open, despite the pandemic popping in and affecting our bottom lines. 

Pivot Towards Medicine 

If you work in business administration or have a business consultancy company, it's a good idea to pivot into healthcare. Anything that has medical clients will keep the lights on. During a pandemic, it's the most sought after industry around. Let's say you're in the records keeping side of business consultancy. Plenty of accounting and admin firms are well-versed in records keeping. That's a perfect launching pad to get into medical records storage and handling. 

That's not to say anyone can get into that kind of business. There needs to be proper HIPAA Certification across the board. Every single person in that operation needs to have a HIPAA certification. That is, of course, the cost of doing business in the medical field. It's not incredibly costly, when you think of the other possible avenues you can take your business. Having medical partners and re-training staff seems to be a pretty good deal. After all, it's not like the medical industry is going anywhere anytime soon. 

Start Making Calls 

If you're in charge of service, there's a good chance that you're going to need new clients. The service industry, especially utilities and repair, never goes out of business. When people are left without the usual creature comforts of the modern world, they tend to turn towards more traditional means. If you're a plumber or an electrician, there is plenty of business out there from both residences and commercial buildings alike. These skilled trades keep their value and, during times like these, often call the shots in terms of pricing. 

But more so than ever, now is the best time to hit the phones and start finding new clients. Many are in need after larger firms had to cut employees by a significant margin. People are also more willing to support local businesses in and around their area. This works especially if you do it the old fashioned way and call. 

Adhere to Safety Standards 

If you're in the food industry, especially restaurants, you have to control the movement of people. It may seem like a big headache, but it's a small price to pay to be up and running again. Having socially distanced tables and well-protected staff is a must. Remember, 1.5 meters is the universal measure for being "socially distanced". You can do this two ways: fewer tables or fewer people. If storing the extra tables isn't a problem, the extra space is great for you servers to freely move along the given paths. 

Customers are a totally different story. The new implementation strategy is to wear a mask on the way to the table, on the way out, and on the way to the restroom. There has been some pushback, to say the least, but there's logic behind these strategies. It's not so much that people aren't going to be exhaling particulates while on the table, it's that the general distance it can travel before falling and dying on a surface is pretty fixed. If you're in a single spot, droplet spray has a set trajectory. If you're moving around, then it could be anywhere. Enforcing the masks is up to you, the owner, but it's highly encouraged. 

Move Online

The education industry has had to pack up the physical spaces and move their practice online. This is especially true if you're a tutor. Tutoring in person is, as we all know, the most ideal situation in terms of relaying information. But the second-best thing is online. Students are constantly on their devices anyway. 

Having a class over said device is just a point of convenience. They don't have a good excuse to miss a tutoring session, either. You can send texts and notifications if you want. Plus, with Zoom and other apps that allow you to observe how they're reacting and solving a problem, it will absolutely be a smoother transition than you initially expected. 

Outsource

A lot of companies have had to downsize significantly over the last few months. That's incredibly unfortunate, albeit necessary for the times. If you've had to let go of good staff because of these trying times, there are ways you can have the job outsourced. The gig economy is well and booming these days. If you have any kind of clerical, admin, or data input positions you need filling, there are plenty of individuals across the world that can get it done. Make sure they take and complete the appropriate training courses as a prerequisite. 

Also, be sure to hold an online interview and be very thorough. If they're just feeding you info they think you want to hear, throw them a few curveballs. Because you're going online, this automatically puts you in the position to review plenty of potential employees from across the world. Don't settle just because the position needs to be filled. Take your time and hire the right people. 

There's more than one way you can go about keeping your business afloat. COVID isn't going to last forever and business will start opening up more. But do take this opportunity to explore your options. Start doing cold calls. Start looking online. Start working online. Above all, stay safe and keep the business going. In the end, it will all be okay.