What a relief.
This week anyone who runs a business received some good news.
The Australian government announced its new $130 billion JobKeeper program. This will certainly give small to medium businesses some security and stability moving forward.
But we’re not completely out of the woods and nothing is as clear as we need it to be. There is a long road ahead for business owners.
Right now, we believe there are three highly important things we should all consider:
- Should we put our business on ‘ice’, or keep going into the fog?
- How long will COVID-19 prevent us from returning to ‘business as usual’?
- What should we do with staff now that we have a supported labour capacity?
Forming an answer to each of these is anything but simple. Every business will also interpret and implement the JobKeeper program differently according to its priorities. Looking closer on how we are approaching these three considerations at Oddball may bring some clarity to how you manage your business over the next few weeks.
1. Should we put our business on ‘ice’, or keep going into the fog?
For Oddball, the JobKeeper program is amazing, but it doesn’t stop our need to continue doing business, nor does it mean other businesses can simply stop operating. This is why we believe now is the best time to be working ON your business more so than IN your businesses. This is the right time to build assets, streamline internal processes and develop better tools. Now is a ripe time to do all of those “I’ll get to it once things quieten down” items that we continually put off. Now is the time to put your business into the best possible position to thrive post-Coronavirus.
2. How long will COVID-19 prevent us from returning to ‘business as usual’?
While our optimistic director would love to see things solved in a few weeks, the reality is it will likely be months until we collectively get through this (take that with a grain of salt – we’re not medical experts!). Once we reach a few months down the track, how likely is it that we will simply return to normality? How likely is it that the threat of COVID-19 will be completely eradicated? This prompts the idea that perhaps we should be preparing our businesses to operate with lingering Coronavirus cases in 3-6 months’ time? And when the JobKeeper program comes to a close in 6 months, what’s the plan?
3. What should we do with staff now that we have a supported labour capacity?
Rather than having idle hands around the place, Oddball are heavily focused on internal projects and activities to deliver on the first point – we’re working ON the business itself. We are improving the procedures and tools we use daily, plus developing a huge amount of our own marketing material ready to share. We strongly encourage you to do the same with your team. There is probably a long list of projects your team could be acting on to get ready for a post-COVID-19 world.
More Online Resources to Help your Business Fight COVID-19:
Why Google Ads still Works Wonders during a CrisisDuring a crisis, your natural instinct is to view paid Google Ads as an unnecessary expense, but here’s proven reasons why AdWords is now a significant marketing opportunity, even during a global pandemic.
Inspiration From Central Coast Businesses Dealing With COVID-19
Despite the limiting reality of COVID-19, we’re hugely motivated by the fighting spirit of Central Coast businesses already trying these simple yet effective marketing ideas.
5 Ways Your Marketing Strategy Can Cope With Social Distancing
Social distancing is changing the way consumers buy. It’s now up to business managers and owners to change their marketing to help people, not sell to them.
Has COVID-19 Changed The Customer Journey Forever?
There is no ‘business as usual’ with the customer journey profoundly changing due to COVID-19. Keep up by moving from old activities to these new opportunities.
7 Ways Marketing Can Help Your Business Survive COVID-19
Practical advice and ideas on how to adapt your business and continue advertising products and services to stay healthy during a global crisis.
Adapting To COVID-19: Video & Tech Tools For Business
Innovate your business overnight by introducing our top recommended digital tools and video technology to your business and daily remote routine.
