As we approach the second quarter of 2021, many business owners are headed back to work and reopening their storefronts. We’ve seen this occur in most states across the country with Florida remaining open during most of the pandemic, but one state that has affected business owners the most is California.
California business owners felt the impact of the pandemic the most in the last year. Small businesses likes hair salons, nail salons and other beauty establishments were immediately closed, then restaurants and bars were next to be placed on hold. The result is that many businesses had to close down and completely re-think their businesses. Those businesses that survived are now reopening and are doing so through a few different strategies.
Working In An Office Vs. Working from Home
Many people resorted to working from home last year and used tools like Zoom to communicate with employees and customers. Zoom is now a household name for businesses, but a lot of owners are still interested in getting back to work. Whether this means returning to a physical office or storefront depends on the type of business.
If you had to abandon your office or workspace as a result of the lockdown, you’ll want to start looking for a new office lease as soon as possible. “With so many businesses going back to work, the leasing market is going to shrink really fast,” says Tom Bacon of Bacon CRE, a commercial real estate firm in Sacramento.
Continuing to Work from Home
If your business can be operated from home, why not save some money and continue to use at-home tools? Everyone is conditioned to working from home and you’ll be able to save a substantial amount of money if you can operate from home.
Assess Your Competition
Since everyone had time off, a lot of people learned how to improve their businesses. No matter the type of industry you operate in, you need to be cognizant of your competitors and understand where they improved in the last year. This could mean you need to opt into new marketing strategies like social media or SEO to remain competitive. And if you have the information, you can also try to see how competitors improved their business processes like accounting, operations, service calls, etc. Try to think of it this way – if you were a consumer looking for a business like yours, what would you want to see in a business?
Don’t Forget About Reviews
Take the time to highlight your business by showing off reviews and testimonials. With such a crowded marketplace, especially in California, you need authentic reviews to help you stand out. Try to be active on platforms like Google My Business, Yelp and Facebook. If you are in the service industry, make yourself available on HomeAdvisor.
We All Have to Start Somewhere
Reopening won’t be easy for a lot of businesses, but it has to happen one way or another. By using these provided tips, you can ensure you’ll face a path of least resistance to get your business back up and running.
