Change of Plan Getting through this present crisis will be tough but as long as we have the support of each other

CHANGE OF PLANS

When this article goes to print on 1st May, my final job in business will be finished. I will be in full retirement and living off my Superannuation and shares that have been building steadily for the past 25 years. My wife and I will also be 35,000 feet in the air on a Singapore Airline flight bound for Europe. It will be the start of our annual overseas holiday that we both look forward to so much. Every year my wife Wendy spends hours upon hours on the planning of each trip which usually starts around eight months prior to leaving. Every detail is meticulously worked out of where to go, countries to see, routes to take, accommodation, flights, car hire, etc, etc. She would make an excellent Travel Agent.

If it’s taken a few days to open up the magazine, then we will have arrived at a place called Annecy in France. It is a major tourist area situated at the top-end of the third largest lake in the country (being 14.6km long and 3.2kms at its’ widest point). It’s only a short distance from the mountains of Switzerland which makes it an even more attractive place to visit. We were here 5 years ago and swore we would come back and stay longer. Our accommodation is on the bottom end of the lake. It’s a 3 bedroom house and is booked for four weeks. In a few days, Wendy’s sister and her girlfriend will be joining us for around seven days before heading off on a ten day Viking River Cruise and then flying out to New York. After they leave, our son and his girlfriend will arrive and spend a short time with us before they do a bit of travelling around themselves. Two of our best friends will then join us in our last week at Annecy and then the four of us will fly to Dubrovnic and spend ten days together touring Croatia, another favourite place of ours. We then say ‘goodbye’ as they are booked on a Mediterranean cruise from Venice. Wendy and I will then stay on for another few weeks (together, alone with no guests) making our way up to Munich for our flight home.

OK! As you may have realised the above trip did not happen. It couldn’t have because of the restrictions in travel, so please disregard all that was said above as there has been a change of plan and I now will re-write my opening statement.

When this article goes to print on 1st May, my wife and I will be at home in Brisbane. Because of the ‘Covid 19’ Pandemic we had to cancel our trip, as has my sister-in-law and her friend, my son and his girlfriend and also the two friends that were going as well. As you can imagine we are all devastated, but as the saying goes, ‘You have to do what you have to do’. Fortunately we are getting most of our money back that has been paid out so we will only lose part of it, but going by the ‘Idiom’, that’s the ‘price one has to pay’. The $70,000 or so that collectively would have been spent overseas, will now stay in our bank accounts. When you think that many countries rely on tourism (including Australia), hundreds of millions of dollars will not be going into their or our economies and as far as I can see, won’t be for at least another twelve months. The companies that miss out are not only the ones that we directly booked in advance for but also it will be the souvenir shops, restaurants, petrol stations, entry fees to parks and historical sites, scenic tours, clothing stores and of course, patisseries and coffee shops. Unfortunately it will ruin many businesses as they won’t be able to withstand the loss of income but this is one of those unexpected events in life we all need to deal with. As Forest Gump once said, ‘Shit happens’. With any sudden or unexpected problem, to survive in business it’s essential to know how to adapt to change as soon as possible. It could be anything from staff phoning in sick, cancelation of a job, bad weather conditions, vehicle or plant hire equipment breakdowns or even a computer virus. Many of these problems are inevitable so a remedy can be planned well in advance, but in the present situation of ‘Covid 19’, it took everyone by surprise and businesses did not know exactly what to do or how to handle it.

It has taken a while but we are now aware of the correct procedures to be put in place. If you’re not quite sure though, it would be a good idea for you and your staff to do a FREE course such as the ‘COVID-19 Accreditation Course’ that the ‘National Institute of Painting and Decorating’ has developed. Once you know what is required, then you can tell your customers of the social distancing and precautions you have in place and that it will be safe, for both parties, to work on their property.

Please stay safe and if things are getting you down, talk to someone. Remember that you are not alone in this.

If we look back through the centuries though, we have gone through wars, pandemics, the Spanish flu, viruses, depressions, recessions and even an attack (September 11). All these have affected the World’s economy in one way or another but we have managed to come out of them as a stronger, united people. Getting through this present crisis will be tough but as long as we have the support of each other (and I think our Government is doing a great job also with the relief packages), we will get through it. By the way! I have also put full retirement on hold for the time being (because of the plummet in Superannuation and the share market) and back into semi retirement for the time being. As there is nothing else to do, I figured I may as well keep myself busy, work around the house and do a few jobs here and there until a vaccine is developed and things get back to normal; believe me it will.

50 YEARS A H OUSE PAI N TER

This book contains 36 topics of industry related knowledge and information which will help you in the way you operate your business.Topics under headings of; Business Checklist, Staff, Marketing and Sourcing Customers, Professional Behavior, Successful Operation and Looking Ahead.Highly recommended by Jason Osborn, Dulux Business Development Executive as; ‘A very easy interesting read, that combines industry facts and great topics.’