We all know that 2020 was a dumpster fire of a year that many of us are still trying to come to terms with and bounce back from.
Sources show that most small businesses, in particular, came face to face with hardship, revealing just how fragile it is to run a business in this day and age. More than that, just about every business worldwide learned in the past year that nothing is set in stone.
Even though the effects of a serious economic downturn have been felt by millions and millions of people (likely billions), there is a new opportunity to reinvent yourself, your business, and stride through the rest of this year with grace, dignity, and prosperity.
Here are 10 tips that will help you stage your comeback in 2021:
Stay Adaptable
Since March of 2020, people from all over the world have been forced to adapt to non-essential business closures, and mask-wearing became the norm. Many of us stayed at home, working or studying, while others completed home improvement projects or learned a new language or how to play an instrument. Some of us just watched Netflix and that’s okay, too.
No matter what you did, you proved how adaptable and resilient you can be — this is a lesson we all learned about ourselves that we should keep in mind moving forward. Now is a great time to shift into a new line of work or continue to learn new skills that will make us more desirable to employers and organizations. Making these sorts of changes will help us grow spiritually, mentally, and even financially.
Enlist a Little Help
It doesn’t matter if you’re a business owner making a comeback from a sub-par year, an influencer who has been shut indoors for the past nine months or more, or even an industrious soul who found a way to gain some major prosperity during these uncertain times — when you need help, it’s time to ask for help.
Chances are, someone around you has been in your exact position. People start new careers and gaze upon new vistas of opportunity each day. Right now is a good time to seek mentorship as well as be a mentor to others. Asking for advice is a great way to connect with people. Turns out that people like to be helpful, by and large. Gain valuable feedback and input from smart friends around you to ensure that your ship stays the course this year.
Seek New Arenas
As human beings, we are all creatures of comfort, which means that we’ll settle down in those easy places where we’re safe. Even the safest betters across the globe learned in 2020 that all bets are off in certain scenarios. It’s very important to learn new things, pick up new hobbies and skills, and put ourselves “out there” in places where we don’t normally get exposure. You can find new job opportunities, networking opportunities, and more simply by attending new events and putting yourself in the middle of new conversations.
Pro Tip: Now that you’ve decided 2021 is your comeback year, it’s a good idea to look the part. Investing in a new look (outfit, hairstyle, etc.) will help you feel refreshed, revamped, and renewed. If you’re having trouble funding your new look and don’t want to put it on the credit card, explore alternative options for quick cash, like pawn shops and title loans. They are much easier to contend with than high credit card balances.
It doesn’t matter if you’re trying to get back to glam, trying to make new and exciting business or social pivots, or even trying to do a lot of the same things you did after a successful year; having a “comeback mindset” will help you make 2021 a year for the books — no matter what your goals are.
Build Reserves
Anything the last year has convinced us to, it’s the value of having monetary and psychological reserves. Life has always had its ups and downs; that’s why it’s essential to cultivate the savings account to meet personal, household, and business expenditures in tough times.
You’ll need mental stability besides financial resources to develop by contributing to lifelong individual development. If you didn’t get the monetary or moral reserves to fall back on last year, begin now so you’ll still have a support system.
Find The Center of Your Focus
We often lose direction on tough days. In his book “Think and Grow Rich“, Napoleon Hill explained that to become good, one must think deeply. Consider this: Where are the ideas and energies focused? What do you hope to accomplish in 2021?
You risk floating around with no clear sense of intent, continually having short-term choices, feeling depressed, and never enjoying life. Concentrate on your goal and develop a successful strategy around it.
Be Ready for Limited Budgets
COVID-19 has certainly cut budgets in almost every single company out there, forcing them to go into the survival phase in order to remain alive and survive the epidemic. Even so, as they’ve grown their internet business, these businesses have faced extra demand with boosting their lead generation.
Even though things are gradually realigning, it is best to plan on working with a tiny budget. The world is indeed mired in uncertainty, and the only option to survive is to respond to the new changes occurring around you.
Boost Trust and Loyalty
It’s very easy to use social networks if you want to advertise your brand and products today. But the real difficulty is to establish a two-way interaction with your followers and potential customers focused on engagement and direct communication. That’s how you build trust and loyalty.
The next big move in developing a successful contact and social networking plan that offers your buyers a solid idea is instant messenger outreach. Your ability to communicate with and connect to the buyers via these increasingly personal platforms will create more awareness of your goods and business.
Long-Term Relationships are Key
With all the ups and downs we’ve all had in this last year we’ve learned to value long term relationships more than ever. We all know who was there for us when we needed something and that’s the sort of relationship that you want to establish with your staff, customers and potential customers.
Focus on creating more long-term relationships with people who value or love the products or services that you have to offer. Ask questions, listen more and find out exactly what they need. This way you’ll discover new opportunities to provide more value to your customers as you expand your offerings.
Work Smarter, not Harder
Working from home has been a blessing for most of us. Sure, a lot of people missed the social interaction, the coffee breaks or the endless chit chat, but since we weren’t stuck at the office eight hours per day we’ve focused only on completing tasks and meeting those KPIs. Let’s face it, you can probably do most of your tasks in half the time, especially if you know you’ll have more free time afterwards.
It’s not about working harder, it’s all about working smarter. Sure, completing your tasks faster demands more focus, determination and resilience, but hard work is definitely not a requirement. Try to optimize processes and leverage the talents of your team to promote ease – this way you’ll all work smarter, producing more income with the resources you have.
In a recent study from Gartner, by 2024 most companies will lower their operational costs by up to 30%, combining hyper automation technologies and systems to redesign their operational processes. Using automation you can save critical points for human interaction and your team’s morale will be off the charts.
Prepare for the Future
At the beginning of 2020 no one could have predicted the global crisis and fallout that’s going to come. But now that we know not to take everything for granted, it’s important to make some plans to make sure you’re well prepared in case something like this ever happens again. Whether it’s a cybersecurity attack or a completely different problem, you have to make sure you’re ready for anything.
You’ve probably learned your strengths and weaknesses last year as we’ve all been through this “worst case scenario” – if you encounter any other bumps along the way, just remember how you’ve handled a situation that was probably a lot worse.
Final Thoughts
Adapting is essential for developing the most effective comeback playbook for 2021, as several developments are on the horizon that will undoubtedly alter the competitive environment once more. With the pointers stated above, you’ll be well on your way to planning your business for the coming year by developing an innovative strategy that keeps you going.
