I sure wish things were not as they are. I wish we could shake hands with colleagues and hug our relatives. I wish we could crowd the bleachers for summer baseball games in the evenings and sit shoulder to shoulder at our kids’ soccer games. I wish I could go into my office and wrangle with the same challenges that I had before this deadly virus pandemic. I have these intense bouts of wishing and wishing and they are followed by equally intense bouts of knowing. I know things won’t change overnight. I know some things in our lives and our businesses will never be like they once were. But I also know there are some things that don’t change, like—it’s always about results.
What Results Can I Control?
Putting my focus back on the things I can control, I run down the list for my business. What does the P & L tell me? Can I open both eyes to look at my cash flow chart? Are my employees working at full capacity despite all the current distractions? Is my inventory adequate, and what is the surplus/deficit with my vendors? Are my clients/customers happy? Are we communicating with them and them with us? Are my products and services relevant to the times? Can I see a path to future gains? Regardless of the answers to the questions above, these exercises are at least familiar ground. These were dragons I was slaying before the world shut down. Facing immediate realities is grounding and provides a starting point.
When To Hold, And When To Fold ‘Em
Since none of us have ever been in this situation before, and since no one can predict when the most frightening parts of this global catastrophe will end, I’m hearing so many business owners say that they plan to sit tight, to stay hunkered down. Spending is cautious if at all. It makes me wonder how long such a position is viable? How long can we hold and still stay in the game? You’re not making money so you’re not spending any. Neither are your customers. Where, then, is your energy going?
How Aptica Can Help You
We have always offered free assessments of a business’s IT network. We look at what you have for hardware and software, how it’s all configured, how what you have supports what you need to do. If everything is fine, we say so. If it could be better, we tell you how and why. After an assessment, we’ve learned something and so have you. More importantly, both of us are moving and working to sustain what we have built. Not all facets of owning a business have been suspended by the varying degrees of lockdown.
If you have questions about what an assessment includes, give Aptica a call. We can talk about staying ready for when the doors to commerce reopen.
Jason Newburg, 260.243.5100, ext 2101, is the founder and owner of Aptica LLC. This IT management and support company has been serving small to medium-sized businesses for 19 years in the region that includes Angola, South Bend, and Fort Wayne, IN, Battle Creek, MI, and Toledo OH.
