The global spread of the Coronavirus pandemic has caused several key cities in the world to close down under quarantine measures. Many cities in Australia have followed the trend and a lot of the small businesses have also felt the depressing effect of the pandemic.
As business owners are eager to know when the quarantine close down on areas will be lifted, many are still optimistic that life and commerce will soon be back to normal in the coming months. For now, businesses are doing what they can to ensure that their staff are protected and the business itself remains floating despite the challenging times. Here are a number of tips to help you keep your business in survival mode during these times:
Tip #1: Running the Business Remotely at Times – Many medium size businesses are able to manage things through remote working and internet-connected workgroups. For the small businesses however, more and more of them are operating on a lean schedule were administrative matters are conducted at home or remotely done through internet or call conferences. If it is a trade or food business, the management can dedicate and focus their work hours on the delivery of servies and then work on the payroll or bookkeeping at home.
Tip #2: Employee and Workplace Safety – Despite the quarantined city-block, most of the food establishments such as grocery marts are still open to consumers. Their workers are equipped with protective gear to help them defend against possible contamination. For small businesses, it is a priority to maintain employee and workplace safety in terms of giving them the peripherals to protect them from contamination and to further equip them with additional sanitation supplies.
Tip #3: Maintain a Line of Communications – For customers and your internal staff. Many businesses who are categorised as essential are still operating despite the quarantine area in effect. At your best, your business must put a public disclosure of your commitment or non-operations to customers through social media, email or responding directly to messages or calls. If you are operating on a limited basis, be reminded to make that public as well to inform customers so they can adjust on their own end.
Tip #4: Risk Assessment – Risk assessment goes in parallel with business continuity. What are the immediate risks if you maintain operations or shutdown operations for the time being? As stated, workplace safety and customer safety are the top priority in these times. Many businesses are running curb-side pickups for goods over the counter. As a business owner, you should also take in consideration the health status of your employees in order to make an informed decision on risk management.
Tip #5: Managing Your Supplies and Inventory – The quarantine has had a major effect on supply chain movements where ingredients, materials and other items may not be readily available due to the closure of some industries and the unavailability of transport for logistics. In order for the business to deliver on products such as food, the need to maintain a tight control on inventory versus demand will help keep the business afloat if the commercial aspect is viable within the local area.
Tip #6: Downtime Productivity – You and your administrative team may need to move administrative tasks such as payroll and bookkeeping later. This can be on the manner of working from home. During the normal business times where you manage to be productive even on your downtime, the same will apply during the quarantine lockdown.
Tip #7: Maintain a Positive Outlook – The world and the government are doing their best to combat the coronavirus. In these times, maintaining a positive outlook has a tremendous effect on business morale for you and your employees. Remember, this too will pass and life, business and commerce will return to normalcy.
The National Brokers Network maintains a good list of businesses for sale in Melbourne and other cities of Victoria, Australia. If you’re planning to buy an existing business in Australia during these times, you can be productive by visiting https://www.nationalbrokersnetwork.com.au/business or you can reach us by phone phone: 03 9226 9222, fax: 03 9078 6315 or email: info@nationalbrokers.com.au.
