3 Tips to Help Your Business Thrive, Not Just Survive

10/22/2021

By: Kathy Kent Toney, CEO & Founder of Kent Business Solutions

Photo by Nacho Juarez from Pexels

How many of you are trying to determine your next best steps during these ongoing, uncertain times?

You’re not alone! With so many unknowns plaguing business owners and leaders these days, it can be challenging to know how to best position businesses for success—to thrive, not just survive.

That’s why I interviewed Dawn Zerbs of Dawn Celeste. Her focus is on Executive and Leadership Team Coaching. I wanted to get some ideas from her on how we can best navigate the days ahead. And she's well qualified to speak on this subject! Her background includes a broad range of functions, including General Business and Leadership, Change Management, Communications, Strategy, Operations, Technology Implementations, Marketing, and Business Development.

Here are three areas or “buckets” she suggests business leaders focus on. If you’re leading a business or team, check out these three tips:

1. Determine What Your Customers Need

If your business has suffered from post-pandemic fall-out, the best thing to do is listen, ask and anticipate what your customers need during this time. They likely have needs that are entirely outside of your business. That's okay. Don't bother them, but also don't underestimate the power of being there and listening. Who knows, you may find that you know someone else that can meet their needs!

2. Focus on Your Core Competencies

Ask yourself how you might pivot your core skills to meet a current need. Many manufacturers and other businesses are pivoting to meet immediate needs as well. Get creative!

3. Think About Your Team

How you approach this depends on what you learn from your customers and a review of your competencies. If you can't pivot, think about how you can continue to help your people.

Some Bonus Tips

Take the Long View

This interim may be difficult, but think about what your business will look like after the end of the current challenge, e.g., do we start another business, pivot, etc. It's important not to make decisions while in panic mode.

Give Others and Yourself Grace

Dawn suggests that we all would do well to take it easy on others and ourselves as we navigate these challenging times. We are all dealing with situations we’ve never faced before! In the meantime, if we can make a daily decision to give ourselves and others grace, this will help us to keep pushing forward to figure things out. This will lessen stress and free up creative juices to find solutions to our challenges.

# # #

Speaking of challenging times, could you use an outside perspective on improving your business? Then I can help! I’d love to be a sounding board or help brainstorm some solutions to your challenges.

If that would work, click the button below to schedule a time to chat!