Back when our last blog post went up (yes, it has been a while!), we lived in a very different world. For Guiderock Commercial Realty, that time was a period of growth and evolution. As a company, we went through a lot of changes but also had a lot of forward momentum.
And then came March 2020. We did not shut down like many of our clients, but we were forced to address a substantial shift in the world. However, we remained a resource for our clients, other business owners, and the community. We gathered information, answered questions, and gave guidance where needed.
Six months later, we can say that things have improved, but much is still unknown. That’s always the case in business, though – we never have the certainty that we might like to have. As we move through the remainder of this disruption and prepare for future unknowns, we have a few thoughts that may help you navigate as well.
- Adversity also breeds opportunity. Remember the saying that “change is the only constant”? Just as this year doesn’t look like 2018 or 2019, the coming years will look different to us as well. As situations evolve, it becomes necessary to deploy different tools and resources. These changes also present opportunities to evaluate how you operate, make improvements, and develop new ways to support your customers. As we talked with our clients, we saw amazing resiliency and adaptability in the face of a substantial systemic shock.
- Plan for the bad when times are good. We see enough signs locally that we are optimistic about the ability of businesses to recover. In the future, when things are looking bright again, remember what happened this year and use that as a tool to keep preparing for the next downturn (in fact, you can lay the groundwork right now for those future contingency plans).
- Don’t go it alone. Entrepreneurship can seem lonely at times, but it really is a team sport. Make sure you have good teammates around you. Of course, this will include the business partners that you rely on for services like accounting and legal advice. Look also for mentors and friends who can help give you a different perspective. And be prepared to be a good teammate yourself and give back to others.
As you take stock of your current situation and begin thinking about your next stage, we hope you see positive signs for your own business as well. Please reach out to us with questions – we can connect you with other organizations and service providers to help you with your specific situation.
