The last eighteen months have confronted business owners with a whole host of challenges, and anyone planning on launching a new company has been anxiously watching the news and waiting to see if things will turn around. The summer, with the relaxed restrictions and waves of reopening, made us feel like we could all take a deep breath.
Things are looking brighter than they have been for a long time but there are still plenty of challenges out there. If you are launching a business this winter, you need to make sure that you have your bases covered. Here are three areas that you need to make sure you are focused on.
You Need To Focus On Security
It probably will not have escaped your attention that there was an explosion of cybercrime during the pandemic. There were a lot of consumers out there who were snared by phoney emails and texts, while big businesses found themselves falling victim to ransomware attacks. It didn’t matter how big the company or what sector they worked in; everyone was vulnerable to cybercrime and this will continue to be an issue. If you are launching a business, great security needs to be a part of your game plan from the get-go.
You Need To Make Sure Your Website Is Working For You
Although businesses have reopened and people are finally heading back into the office, the biggest marketplace out there right now is still digital, and it is likely to remain that way for a while yet, especially if we do see the return of some COVID-19 restrictions in the winter months. If you have not spent a lot of time working on your website and digital strategy yet, then this needs to be an urgent priority.
You need to make sure that your content is well-written and informative, and that you keep your SEO updated. You need to create a page that is easy to navigate as well as being eye-catching. You should also be using Google Analytics to track the performance of your site. Elevate Digital has put together a detailed breakdown of how this tool works and what it can do for you, and you can read more about it here.
You Need To Work On Your Flexibility
Anyone who ran a business during the pandemic will tell you that making plans seemed to be a bit of a pointless exercise during the worst months. Lockdown restrictions rolled back and then rolled back out again, there was a lot of uncertainty about government grants, and a positive COVID-19 test could close a place down (temporarily).
If you are launching now, you need to be aware that flexibility is going to be crucial. This is especially true with the supply shortages that we are currently experiencing. Look at what you can do to build a financial cushion to weather any difficult months. Keep in constant communication with your partners and suppliers to avoid any last-minute surprises. Create contingency plans where you can.
