As business owner I want to try and offer as much support to other businesses as possible, I also wanted to share a different way of looking at this crisis and the impact it is having on all our businesses, as there could be some positives to look forward to.

These times are pretty horrendous for all of us, it has impacted pretty much every industry and it is difficult to have to say this, but the reality is a lot of companies will close, some have already, others will have to scale back, some will no longer be able to offer the same services they once did, but that then can lead on to a positive when we come out the other side as well. I’ve been speaking to other business owners and something that was mentioned has helped me to change my mindset slightly. What this period of time will bring for those that survive, and you will if you believe you can so try and stay positive, is open up the possibility of cheaper acquisitions, mergers or partnership opportunities that were not there before, because everything will be on sale or about to go on sale in the coming months.

So if your business or the business you work for holds a lot of cash reserves, then you’ll be significantly better off than you were before so why not start planning for coming out the other side today. What could benefit the business/brand in the long term?.. Buying other small businesses to expand your services nationwide? Better quality staff? Buying a competitor? A refresh of your website? A sales or marketing strategy? A new office or warehouse maybe? What about forging new relationships or agreeing new finance deals with existing suppliers? Have a think about it and focus some of your attention there. If you’re not fortunate enough to hold a lot of cash reserves then there’s an opportunity to secure low interest loans that you can then use to make calculated investments within the business.

The point I guess I’m trying to make is we should all be cutting expenses not investments and investing in your brand and communications is vitally important, especially in a crisis like this. If you cut back on your original plans now because you want to ride out this situation, then you’ll only come out of this crisis finding yourself having to start from scratch or playing catch up with those who stuck to a plan. You may want to consider planning for coming out the other side raring to go for when the economy turns for the better. That’s what we’re trying to do anyway, by focusing on trying to be a winner.

For any business that are in a brand new situation of not now having the resources to be able to continue to work on marketing communications, that you would of ordinarily been able to do in-house, we will offer you some free studio hours to support your business in between our paying jobs, just email to arrange a call and we’ll see what we can do. We’ve got some downtime to fill so we want to help and also keep busy, this offer is only for those who really need it though – like our good friends at Southampton Hospitals Charity where we are giving them free studio time to support with the hospitals important communications during this difficult time. And please remember, our support goes beyond just creative implementation, we can provide consultative support on your brand/business as a whole, including but not limited to, brand strategy, communications strategy, sales and marketing strategies, internal & external communications planning, content as well as the implementation of it all of course.

This all said, if you ever just wanted some advice or to pick my brains on something, then feel free to give me a call. Talking does not cost money. I hope this can go some way in helping you, or anyone you know. Try to keep your chin up, stay safe and look towards a more positive future.

www.frostcreative.co.uk