Business is a lot like football. To stay in the game, you need to be able to play both defense and offense. And while having a great defense might keep you in the running for the playoffs, I don’t believe a great defense ever wins the Super Bowl. So here we are with our businesses and our economy, playing against an opponent with an overwhelming offense. For many, just staying in the game is all the effort that can be mustered. It’s time to pivot to offense; it’s only the second quarter of a long game.
You Have To Score To Win
While the debate continues about isolating vs. reopening, I believe there is a balance somewhere in the middle that can serve, to at least some degree, both sides. But we cannot remain totally suspended. As I see it, if there is life, there are needs for goods and services. We must think differently. That March rut that I talked about less than two months ago seems like lifetimes ago—and it is. Our new reality calls for innovation and flexibility. We need to both score before halftime and come back after with a new game plan.
Candidly Assess Your Relevance
The U.S. Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments by telephone. The historically tech-averse court has changed its protocols because justice at their level cannot indefinitely “wait and see.” Saturday Night Live is back to broadcasting new shows, all videoed remotely. Clearly, it’s “ride or die” time in the Entertainment Industry. Food trucks are now feeding long haul-truckers at the truck stops since inside diners were shuttered. Lawmakers in Washington D.C. are scrambling to legislate major supply chain restructuring so that we are not so dependent on foreign-made medicines and manufactured goods. If your business was successful two months ago, what goods or services did you offer that made it so? Are the needs still there, and if so—how can you restart to supply those needs? Also, this week’s answer may not be next week’s answer either. You’ll need to look further down the road and most likely have Plans A, B, and C, all ready to go at a day’s notice.
We’ve Been “Germed”
It’s real. It’s happening. We must tactically maneuver, revise the game plan, or settle for a losing season. Unlike football, however, settling for a losing season could mean the end of your franchise. Let’s not settle. Put on your engineering hat and find a new angle. The uncertainties of this pandemic have pushed even large corporations to innovate without huge cash outlays. There is no time for R & D. What do we have now that can be relevant to current demand?
Technology Is Keeping Us Alive And Kicking
Remote offices keep employees connected to their clients and customers so that conversations and orders can continue. Zoom meeting technology has put fundraisers on TV and on the internet. NASCAR races will be broadcast even though the stands are empty, and PGA tournaments are already back on the air. Telemedicine availability is serving to keep both medical professionals and their patients safe from exposure to Covid-19. These are all examples of how powerful technology is keeping day-to-day business and culture alive.
The status of your technology is a great place to start as you consider how you will run your new offense to stay in the game. Give us a call at Aptica. No cash outlay necessary to have a conversation about where you are and where you want to go.
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.