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COVID-19 VIRAL BUSINESS
When emulating a virus is positive
If there is anything we need to acknowledge during this lockdown, is that the coronavirus is pretty darn smart, tenacious and yes, novel.
T
he entire world is in various stages of
we get involved with reassuring where possible,
lockdown and, at the time of writing,
about how to support them. We have used this
South Africa’s timeframe has just
to help and advise them to enhance offerings, to
been extended to the end of the
upskill, to defend,” says Essential Group’s general
month of April. It’s pretty certain that no-one is celebrating this and in fact, unfortunately,
manager, Reinier van den Bergh. With these processes in place, while it is
many companies that barely survived the first
nevertheless possible that there will be collateral
fortnight of lockdown, are going to be tipped
damage, it may be minimalised.
over the break-even abyss. We could, however, take this opportunity to
NOVEL ADAPTATIONS AND RESILIENCE
learn something from this virus that has gripped
This virus is unique, adaptable and appears to
its tentacles around the entire globe. There are
‘mutate’; it is simple in structure and has varying
several things businesses can do now to ready
levels of resilience. This makes it all the more difficult
themselves for reopening after the lockdown, of
to break its defences, to get rid of it, to find a cure.
which some are adopting a few of the coronavirus’ characteristics – but without endangering lives.
If we applied these characteristics to the business environment, a solution wouldn’t be nearly as sinister as mutating, but it would entail
TENACITY
adapting, being agile in thought processes,
The virus is tenacious, all but invisible
changing, finding new avenues for business,
and, once it gets a hold, there are two
strategising and thinking differently, innovatively.
outcomes: survival or not. Non-survival, in the business world, is not
be maintained, but social interfacing is still viable;
an option – normally. These are unusual times
where you don’t need sanitiser and gloves to
and to survive them, tenacity is an important
communicate with your audience and, bonus, you
characteristic a business can adopt. With
don’t even need to don a suit to go to a virtual
many employees working remotely this is
meeting. Assess what your customers require
when businesses (literally) need to stay the
from you and approach suppliers about what
distance, to persevere with energy and as
their offerings are. If cashflow is a challenge,
much fortitude as possible; to hang in there,
get creative and consider bartering with other
to encourage each other, to support supply
products and services.
chains and loyal customers and, most importantly, care for your people. The Essential Group has developed robust
MAY 2020 DIY & INDUSTRIAL TRADE NEWS
This is a time where social distancing must
The biggest commodity during any crisis, is trust. Reassure all your customers, suppliers, stakeholders and the public, generally, that
and frequent communications with its
you are practising apt measures to fight the
membership base. “We understand how they
pandemic. Be seen to be doing something – and
are being personally impacted by the virus and
even contributing to a resolution.
