HOW TO MANAGE BUSINESSES IN THE TIME OF CORONAVIRUS

Entrepreneur Advice

The impact of the economic crisis dampened business activity across all sectors in Lebanon, and startups vying for funding opportunities had to put their plans on hold.  Then, the global pandemic, coronavirus, as classified by the World Health Organization, exploded, further straining business opportunities.

Whilst the general sentiment in Lebanon seems bleak, there are strategies that companies can adopt, to safeguard their businesses and even grow, in such challenging times.

Here are a few tips from BDD, to help you envision and plan:

  • Manage resources effectively. Even though employees might not be able to come to the office, or host meeting, they can connect from their homes, in order not to disrupt business activity. Clear communication lines and reaffirming their responsibilities can help keep work on track. Meetings can be taken online, using Skype or Zoom.
  • Keep close connections with suppliers and customers. Relationships need to be maintained and managed, in order to resume business as normal, when the impacts of the economic crisis and coronavirus subside.  Should there be delays in delivery orders, be honest and clear with clients, with proactive communication.
  • Customer acquisition, especially in such challenging times, requires more effort. Plan your marketing efforts, including ads and remarketing campaigns to stay top of mind, across your client base. Of course, ensure your marketing strategy is considerate of the current times and does not appear opportunistic.
  • Plan your finances and cut costs. Due to the lack of visibility, tied to the triple whammy of unfortunate events in Lebanon (economic, epidemic and political), you will need to be much more diligent with managing finances. This means cutting all unnecessary costs and limiting expenditure. Scenario planning is also important, to help you manage your cash flow in the coming months.

Lastly, use the ‘downtime’ to plan and strategize. Is there a company project that never saw the light? Or an internal project that was never implemented? Does your website need enhancements, but you could never get around to it? Use this time to better your company, product or service, to be ready when the markets open up.

The impact of the economic crisis and coronavirus have dampened business activity across all sectors in Lebanon. However, there are strategies that companies can adopt, to safeguard...
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