Happy New Year!

Day 60 or something like that. That's how long we've been dealing with this crisis. Is it over yet? Unfortunately not, and, as I sit down to write this weekly column, I'm not sure how much longer it will last. The only thing that I can say for sure is that the results of the COVID 19 pandemic will deal a sharp blow to our economy.

There are different opinions out there about this crisis and I respect everybody for theirs. I would love to chat with you about YOUR feelings about the crisis, even if it's simply to vent and share your frustrations with whatever you think are the reasons we are still in quarantine or should be back at work. However, the different opinions about the crisis, and the current stay-at-home order are not the point of this week's article.

I stated in a previous article that the only thing we have in our control is the way that we handle the situations we are dealt. Life has a way of throwing obstacles in our path which may seem monumental or insurmountable. If you look at the obstacles as walls then it would be easy to become overwhelmed with the fear of the situation. I truly believe in the quantum approach to business, which is a philosophy I share with my coaching clients. Quantum Coaching is my self-branded philosophy that states that small changes today create big results tomorrow. Small, manageable, changes have long term effects! This fundamental approach is that same approach that states that losing one pound at a time is a sustainable weight loss that won't rebound. Small changes, or improvements, in your business are what you need to be focusing on right now.

Close your eyes and imagine the day when we are all allowed to move freely about the country. Now open your eyes and keep reading. On the day when the quarantine is lifted and you are able to meet customers in your office, or in town, what do you expect to do? Do you think that it will be business as usual and all things will be back to the way they were in February? On this glorious day I can assure you that the world will be a much different place.

While our new normal may not even be close to what you thought you were used to before the world shifted on its axis you might just find that recreating a profitable business isn't really all that difficult. If you are going to be ready to handle that brave new world then you have to begin preparing for it now! Start working on the fundamentals of your business today so you are prepared for the new way of doing business tomorrow!

What have you learned about yourself or your business during this downturn that you can use to help your business grow when you re-open? Have you become a Zoom guru? Have you discovered new, more efficient ways to run your business? In January I talked about how to be innovative and how to incorporate new ways of thinking into the way you market to and attract customers. That article was focusing on the New Year and giving yourself a fresh start. Clearly, when you shift the ways that you think and develop a new, more dynamic, business you are setting yourself up for a great new year.

Sixty days into the COVID crisis and I'm sure it seems like it's going to go on forever. Realistically though you have to understand that it will eventually be over. There is no way we can go on like this forever but if you use this time wisely and focu
s ON your business then all of the heartache you felt during the past two months won't be for naught.
Take a deep breath, look to the future and know this… The Great New Year of 2020 begins today.