In this 4-minute read:
- What’s your business idea?
- Online sales need to be a priority
- Market your business well
- Protect your business
With all of the enforced business closures worldwide, several businesses have had to close their doors permanently. The fear from the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted business owners and consumers alike.
It can seem like a scary time to try to start a new business, but as states starting to open again, it might be just the right time to put your business idea into action.
Throughout this article we’ll provide tips and recommendations for starting a successful business during/after the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Start with your business idea
With the pandemic still very real and looming over us, certain business ideas will be more likely to succeed than others. You may already have an award-winning idea, but was it something that would have been more successful before the pandemic?
Think about ways that you can adapt your current idea to be more successful during this time. Can you make your offerings available online? Is social distancing possible? What hygiene practices will you need to adopt?
A new night club where 50+ people are in close proximity to one another might not be the safest startup right now, but an online store or restaurant that delivers could be. Think about the current mindset of your potential audience and how they will respond to your new business. That can help you to adapt your idea into something that will be successful after COVID-19.
Make online sales a priority
The world was already moving to a digital business space before the pandemic, but COVID-19 has made that shift to online sales and offerings occur on a large scale. It’s going to be very difficult to succeed right now if you can’t offer, or at least start the process of your offerings, online.
If you are starting a product-based business, then an eCommerce store and delivery services are a must.
If you are starting a service-based business, customers should be able to learn more about your services online and fill out a form or call to get a quote. The process should be simple to start without having to leave their home.
Here are a few articles that can help you get your business set up online:
- 5 best DIY websites for small businesses on a budget
- How to set up an eCommerce store for your small business
- Complete guide to fulfilling and shipping orders for your online store
- How to get your business started selling online during COVID-19 / coronavirus
You need to have a marketing budget
When your offerings are primarily online (and honestly, even if they aren’t), you need to have a healthy budget for marketing your business. All new startups need to be marketed well with brand awareness campaigns and getting your name out there.
Online marketing is going to be critical right now where many people are still working from home and staying home as much as possible.
Having a website and online offerings is a great first step, but you’ll need to do a little more to reach potential customers.
- Advertise your business on Facebook and Instagram—you can reach a huge audience with the number of people who are scrolling through their social feeds every day
- Advertise your business on Google—this will allow you to reach the customers who are actively searching for offerings similar to yours
- Start working on your SEO—this will help you to get your business showing up online organically so you don’t always have to pay for advertising
- Come up with new deals and promotions to entice new customers and bring them to your business
How to protect your new business after COVID-19
It’s difficult to tell what the future will look like after COVID-19. So taking every precaution to protect your new business is going to be crucial.
First, we want to talk about business insurance here. When you acquire business disruption insurance—this typically protects you against damages from natural disasters—you should consider negotiating “communicable disease coverage” as well. With the undetermined future of COVID-19, it’s possible there could be another spike in cases as businesses open up, and this could help you if any employees get sick and can’t work.
Second, sanitizing practices are going to be critical. COVID-19 hasn’t been eradicated and may never be, so it’s important to practice good hygiene and cleaning habits no matter what kind of business you run. Stock up on the necessary PPE and sanitizing solutions that you may need for your business and make it a point to regularly clean your facilities. Make sure your customers are aware of these practices too.
Check out this article: How do I limit my business’s liability during and post COVID-19?
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