7 life hacks from entrepreneurs how to stay afloat in quarantine

His Work / by admin / January 07, 2021

1. Move your business online

This seems to be overwhelmingly obvious advice. But now is the time to take another look at it.

When the coronavirus pandemic was still an epidemic, those who could easily transfer their activities to the Internet did it. The others froze in anticipation. It was not clear whether quarantine would be introduced or not? And if they do, how much? And how will the state support? Now there are answers and they are for business do not like. Instead of quarantine and emergencies, self-isolation, high alert and paid monthly holidays have been introduced. Obviously, the situation will not be resolved quickly, which means that now we need to think about going online again.

Dmitry Puchkov

Category manager "Avito Work".

According to the latest data, since the establishment of quarantine, Russian Internet providers have recorded an increase in Internet traffic by 10-30%. This means that users have many times more time for digital content. Therefore, look for ways to intelligently go from offline to online. For example, many companies are now launching a series of paid online webinars for professionals and individuals and find that clients from regions who could not come to get advice are actively connecting to these webinars.

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In order to continue working, it is important to understand what part of the old tasks you can perform in the new environment and how to do it correctly. Your clients also find themselves in a difficult situation, especially if you deal with organizations, and not with individuals. They will be loyal and grateful if you continue to fulfill your obligations no matter what.

Pavel Kotov

Head of the department for work with the ATOL partner network.

ATOL products provide financial settlements. In a short time, we managed to organize a system for remote equipment monitoring and troubleshooting for our partners. Those, in turn, work with end customers, such as grocery stores or pharmacies. The system operates on the same principle as remote administration of computers. The partner can remotely make the necessary changes, quickly troubleshoot problems. We are available 24/7 for our customers.

Sometimes there may be several alternative products.

Anton Shardakov

Co-founder of the network of drum schools "Not School of Drums".

Our business is a school for playing a musical instrument. Today we train more than 10 thousand people at the same time. Schools operate offline, and drum kit is not an instrument every student can bring home. In addition, we have a network franchiseswhere each franchisee depends on the management company in their actions.

We quickly launched alternative products, which allowed us to temporarily replace the main one - the drumming course. The first product we announced was the Intensive with the Stars, a nine-day marathon where drummers from popular groups ("Bi-2", "Night Snipers", "Melnitsa", Black Star) conduct classes with our students. In the first ten days of sales, we received 1.5 million rubles in revenue, which allowed us to partially cover the costs due to quarantine.

The second product is Drum TV. It is a TV drum format with its own program guide, educational, entertainment, news and emotionally supportive content that we sell through YouTube. Now we are filming dozens of lessons every week. And each of the students in the end has the opportunity to receive even more benefits than in "peacetime".

The third product is translation into online entertainment events. Before quarantine, we had concerts and parties every week, where our students performed. They also received this format with great interest.

2. Translate communications to the internet

It is worth moving customer interaction online not only during a pandemic, but also in the long term. This applies to both the B2C and B2B segments. Moreover, the latter is even more so, because here the commitment to personal contacts is especially strong. According to some reportsB2B Buying Disconnect, almost half of those who make purchasing decisions do not have any contact with a potential seller. They get all the data from open sources. So the bet on personal meetings and active sales runs the risk of not working in the near future.

Of course, it would be more convenient to deal with the online side of the business in a quieter time. But you have to work with what you have.

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3. Reformat your business

For some, restrictive measures prevent them from doing what they did before the pandemic. The goods and services of others are simply unclaimed. Many became hostages of the situation. When it became clear that the new reality will have to exist for a long time, it's time to consider what your company can switch to what is necessary and relevant. This will not always be the most obvious solution.

Ekaterina Kraivanova

Co-founder of Next2U rental service.

Quarantine and the restrictions associated with it began in mid-March and immediately affected our rental service. The demand for everything related to events (evening dresses, tuxedos, lighting and sound equipment, decor and furniture) fell by 80%, now this figure has reached 90%. At the same time, it has grown significantly in categories that were not very popular up to this point: the rental of exercise bikes, treadmills, sports equipment, game consoles and robots - window cleaners. They are now hits.

To meet the explosive growth in demand, we have partnered with fitness and cycling clubs. The fitness club places on our service its offers for renting sports equipment and works with clients, ensuring its issuance and acceptance. We are looking for clients, providing an online contract, scoring and insurance. For this work, our standard commission is 20-25% of the transaction amount, but in April we reduced it to 5% in order to somehow support the rental market. Of course, renting even the majority of the club's sports equipment will not allow it to approach the pre-crisis income, but it will be a help that will help wait out this time.

Following the same principle of cooperation as with fitness clubs, we plan to collaborate with gaming clubs to meet the demand for game consoles, which has also grown significantly.

4. Take care of your employees

In order not to spoil the relationship, it is important to keep it transparent. If your company is good and you don't lie to people or expose them, chances are good that together you will be able to get through a difficult period. Perhaps for the sake of this, employees will even agree to endure some inconvenience. Caring for them is an investment in the future.

Evgeniya Pruslina

Co-owner of the BBAgency PR agency.

Back in early March, we agreed with copywriting contractors to reduce the rate for work by 1.5–2 times for two months. And with employees we switched to a thinner system payment: fixed - 50% of the salary that was, and everything else is a bonus for overfulfilling the KPI.

This is how we give our clients more value for the same fee, as everyone is now focused on high productivity in synergy. As a result, turnover due to the suspension of work with those clients who were organizing offline events fell by 30%, while personal income remained at the same level.

Anton Shardakov

Co-founder of the network of drum schools "Not School of Drums".

We're going to save our entire team by the time we exit quarantine. We have reduced the bonus part and bonuses, but at the same time gave employees the opportunity to earn in the current reality: they are selling online products and for overfulfilling the plan will be able to receive rewards. We also found companies that need outsourced salespeople, and we take on some of their work.

5. Reduce costs

Structure all company expenses and divide them into groups as needed. So you will understand what you can give up in the near future, and what you need to hold on to to the last. For example, you can negotiate with landlord and temporarily reduce payments for your office. Or work directly with the supplier of the goods you need, rather than with the distributor.

It is important to "see the shores" here. Do not lower the latter if the light at the end of the tunnel is still not visible. Perhaps, in these conditions, it will be more competent to mothball the business until better times - if the industry allows, of course.

Ekaterina Zdesenkova

Executive Director of the iConText Group.

If you are not ready for the situation, it is better to make the difficult decision to stop or freeze your business during the crisis. Sometimes it's better to ride out the storm than to convulse and spend the last money. Maintain your Instagram or Facebook page, try to keep your main audience. If she remains interested in you, you will recover what was missed much faster.

6. Upgrade your brand

The crisis is not the right time for high-cost marketing efforts. However, if you feel empowered and ready to invest in brand awareness, consider your options. With the right planning, this will not require prohibitive expenses from you.

Gayane Asadova

Founder of the first PR-bureau for ACG experts.

Experts and entrepreneurs have no other way out of the crisis than to declare themselves and their business through the media, to increase the trust of potential clients. Now, when the turnovers of most companies are not growing, owners and experts choose to grow their fame. This is logical, because the quarantine will end, everything will work as before. And by this time they will already be ahead of the competitors, which no one knew about. Brand awareness directly affects a company's revenue.

Perhaps, in parallel with this, you will be able to find new channels for making money.

Elena Zubkova

Founder and director of the creative agency OMG Agency for creating a personal brand on Instagram.

Our client is a cosmetology clinic that has closed due to the pandemic. Together with the founder of this clinic, we decided to develop an Instagram account. Emphasized that women can take care of themselves at home: do facial cleansing, remove varnish etc. At the same time, the clinic offers the necessary goods for personal care: masks, napkins for removing the coating from nails, and so on. They are delivered by a courier.

7. Think about the future

The good news is that the pandemic and crisis will not last forever. This period will be difficult - there is no reason to predict otherwise, but sooner or later it will end. And you need to be ready for this.

Lilia Aleeva

Marketing Director of ICL Services, PhD in Economics.

I have before my eyes examples of how a small business skillfully adapts to the current difficult conditions. One of the Kazan beauty salons introduced a long-term pre-registration for loyal customers at attractive prices. On the one hand, this will allow the salon to hold out in a period of lack of money in terms of salaries and rent payments and not lose staff. On the other hand, to provide yourself with work after the end of the pandemic and not waste time restoring the flow of clients.