Why I Transformed My Perfect Lifestyle Business During Lockdown.
Not everyone has the same outlook on work, money and time. When it comes down to it, there are just three types of people. First, there are the employees who work in the system and get paid a fixed, steady salary no matter how much value they add to the company. Second, there are the entrepreneurs who work on the system and determine their own workload, income, and hours. They usually aspire to earn serious money, managing a big business, with lots of people. Then, there are self-employed individuals who basically become the system by opting to run a lifestyle business with the sole purpose of enjoying a particular way of life. I used to be one of them!
I spent many years developing a perfect lifestyle business that provided for the financial needs of my family. I got my kids through university, paid for my house, built a steady income, slept like a baby at night, and had plenty of time to do the things I love, like making music, playing computer games, pottering in the garden, watching movies, and travelling abroad. So, why on earth would I suddenly want to change my recipe for personal success? What changed in my world that inspired me to suddenly build and grow my business? How come my priorities have shifted from indulging my passions to unlocking the full potential of my talents and skills as a bespoke developer with over 30 years of hard-won experience in the ever-changing world of technology?
Covid 19 changed everything for all of us. I watched this horrific pandemic rip apart the livelihoods of millions of hard-working entrepreneurs around the world. I witnessed my client’s businesses take a beating in lockdown. I experienced my wife’s holistic therapy business close its doors, turning away patients who depended on her services to restore their health and heal their hearts. That really hurt her!
We were all forced into quarantine, cut off from our customers, and stopped from doing business in the conventional way. The traditional business structures that employees, entrepreneurs and lifestyle business owners depended on for their financial survival crumbled before our eyes. For over two million people, Covid 19 was fatal. Over 225 million salary-earners lost their jobs, and millions of companies filed for bankruptcy worldwide.
The migration to the digital world during lockdown was unprecedented and prolific. Frankly, it was great for my business. I’ve never had such a deluge of new jobs come my way. But it was no longer about cherry-picking work that interested me, or challenged me. It wasn’t about getting by on a steady income whilst relishing the upsurge of new business opportunities. And it certainly smashed any chance I had to take advantage of lockdown to enjoy my leisure time even more.
Suddenly, it was all about helping people to survive, to adapt, and to reinvent themselves online. The level of urgency was code red. The desperate need to find customers, engage with them, and do business online was driven by a survival instinct. It wasn’t about exploring new market opportunities or executing planned expansion plans. It was a powerful knee-jerk reaction to save their livelihoods, preserve jobs, and get through COVID 19 in one piece.
In these troubled times of death, disease, and devastation, I just couldn’t sit by and watch my clients scrambling for business survival while I played my guitar, potted in the garden, or conquered new worlds in Assassin’s Creed on my new Sony Play Station 5.
COVID 19 evoked in me a tremendous sense of my patriotic duty. We’re all in this pandemic together. It affects each and every one of us. We need to help our fellow countrymen wherever and however we can. The pub on the corner, the travel agent next to the flower shop, the holistic therapist who cares for the sick, the people we pass by at a distance of two meters on the street – they are the lifeblood of our communities. Their struggle is our struggle, their loss is our loss, and their need to get through this pandemic is no less important than our own.
That’s why I transformed my perfect lifestyle business into a full-blown digital marketing agency. I realized I must do my bit to make a difference, to do more to help others, and to help rebuild my community in the emerging post-pandemic era. I don’t have all the resources of a big corporation or Government institution but I do have skills and talents that can be put to good use right now. I have dormant faculties that I can activate to help companies market themselves online.
We all have abilities that can help to rebuild our communities and economies as we come out of lockdown. Sure, we may have to set aside our comfy-blankets and change our attitudes to create a “new normal” in which we all survive and thrive, but hey – our capacity to care is what gives life its true meaning. Now is the time to rise up, reach out, and respond enthusiastically to rebuilding the hopes and dreams of our nation. If we all play our part, we can shape ‘the new normal’ towards creating a post-pandemic society that cares for its people. COVID 19 reminded us of our fragility and mortality, yes, but it also reminded us of our humanity.
In business, client-centricity is the name of the game in ‘the new normal’ and it’s played in the digital arena. I encourage you to look out for our new social media campaign called, ‘How to Survive and Thrive in ‘The New Normal.’ We’ll reveal practical ways for you to build and grow your business as you come out of lockdown.
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Stuart Moodey
Founder
If you want to transform your business into a Binary Brand to create better brand awareness, sell more products, make your life easier with powerful online tools, and win customer loyalty, then make sure you follow our social media channels.
It’ll be our pleasure to help your business survive and thrive online in the new normal.
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