To use an old, tired cliche, a business is very much like a river. The business you run today will be different to the business you run five years from now, even if you’re selling the same product to a largely similar audience. Even companies that seem to be eternal in their presence and marketing power, such as The Coca-Cola Company, are always evolving and changing - not only to sell now, but to compete in the future, too.
To use another example, think of the armed forces. Not only must they prepare for defence strategies at home and abroad, but they must also think to the future. It’s strange to hear them speak of future defensive threats from Space, but that’s only because this isn’t something we’re used to hearing about. We can be sure that in the next twenty years, we’ll be more familiar.
So - how can you revivify your business, not only for now, but for the future? Can we use even the most difficult periods, such as the pandemic year of 2020, to straighten out and look forward with a concrete vision? It’s worth asking those questions, at least.
So - let’s consider how we may go about this noblest of goals:
Considering Social Causes
It’s important to consider how social causes have intimately tied in with business marketing approaches. This is quite a tiring topic to cover, because in some instances, it’s questionable how businesses choose to go about this. There’s a common cultural meme that suggests businesses, during pride month, use the rainbow flag as a fantastically relevant marketing tool in order to sell more products - without caring much about the actual reasoning for the social cause in the first place.
This isn’t just a cynical reading. It’s quite clear when companies take the mantle of a social cause and use it to gain favor. In some cases, staying silent is perhaps worse on a perceptual level than coming forward and doing something. For this reason, businesses are forever stuck between deciding just how far they should take it this year, or if they should ‘take it’ at all.
However, there’s no reason to focus on seasonal social causes or those that seem to spring up as an opportunity. It’s much better that if you choose to use one of these causes, you do so in a manner that you can both contribute to, and that you can actually make a difference with. For instance, consider how Hellman’s have put their money where their mouth is, working with Notpla to trial a ‘seaweed sachet’ means of providing sauces to takeaways up and down the United Kingdom. This is intended to reduce plastic waste entirely, offering a very worthwhile alternative. Now this is both a social and environmental cause, and pursuit, most people would find difficult to criticise.
In other words - don’t exploit social causes of the moment, seek to make active change in one for the future. Think about how you can make a difference. Then, your approach doesn’t have to seem cynical or hollow - it will have real weight behind it. That’s a fantastic manner of revivifying your business, and your customers will agree.
Renovating Your Infrastructure
Renovating your infrastructure is essential. If you’re not gaining the latest cybersecurity updates for your software and IT network, perhaps through an IT managed service, then you’re simply going to be on the backfoot as security is concerned. This is one example of how poorly-thought out infrastructure not only impedes your daily workflow, but can lead to an existential threat your business may one day have to face.
There is perhaps no infrastructure mistake that can be more easily made than through a system you already take for granted. For instance, your telecom or VoIP lines. It could be that you haven’t adopted the SIP system https://www.sip.us/ just yet, and that would also prove to be a problem. Renovating your infrastructure means ensuring these essential components are installed and functional, helping you move forward to the future with the most basic (and in this case, convenient) new serviced standards to benefit from. In this case, and many more like them, a careful and renovative eye can go a long way to improving and even redefining your workflow.
On Workplace Culture
Workplace culture is very important to consider. It might be that you’ve lagged on this, and realize that there have been issues with staff leaving due to how intense your workplace competition is, or worse, that abuse issues have been covered up.
We’re not here to tell you how to address certain instances of course, but you must ensure that a no-tolerance for harassment, bullying or worse is implemented now. If your workplace culture has lagged, it’s important to figure out how to make it up to your staff, how to make a public statement of understanding, and what norms you may need to consider in the future. For instance, many businesses are encouraging those from minority communities to apply to positions, making it clear that there’ll no discrimination to be found at your firm. Efforts like this are important, as they help set the tone for your overall business strategy.
Reviewing Your Staff
Of course, it’s important not to forget that for every single additional effort you apply to help your staff out, that your staff are also there to help you. It might be that certain staff have consistently missed their targets, are continually away from work, or may have caused you problems.
Addressing why this is, and if you can help those problems from recurring, is important. That said, as a leader, you’re well within your right to downsize or streamline your labor if necessary. It’s never a nice option - just keep in mind that it is an option, and reviewing your staff from time to time is an important aspect of running a business effectively.
With this advice, we hope you can revivfy your business in the best possible context.
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