With the Coronavirus pandemic shutting down the world, I’m answering the question, Is it business as usual? and also share a few examples of what to do and what NOT to do.

[if you want to see my cute cat in the background, watch the IGTV video here!]

It is business as usual for myself, and for my clients, more or less. I’m still showing up for my clients, they’re still showing up for their clients and customers.

We have made some shifts.

Those who normally work with people in person, we’ve shifted to online and some of our social media strategies have changed, myself included.

I know that, for me, I had quite a few things planned out for social media and I’ve paused everything and I’m rethinking it – because even though my goal is always to MOTIVATE, EMPOWER and INSPIRE small business owners and solopreneurs, the posts that I had planned weren’t quite appropriate or relevant to what’s happening in the world right now.

I wanted to press pause and take a moment to rethink my strategy, and to see how I could better show up for all of you.

At the same time, as the world was shutting down, I started receiving emails from big companies offering their support, asking: How can we help you. we’ve set up funds to help you. It’s been really awesome to see how everybody’s coming together and trying to support each other.

But then I received an email from a large health and wellness school. When I opened up the email I immediately thought that’s what they were going to be offering – something to support their students. But that was not the case.

And this is the “what not to do” part.

I’m pretty sure they probably had this email planned, in their queue.

But they inserted a first sentence that was probably a little bit different than what they had planned and it was talking about what was going on in the world.

And so again, I thought, okay I’m going to keep reading because they’re probably offering some kind of support to people and I can notify other people that may need it.

That was not what was in the email.

What followed in the email was,

Hey, come check out our new logo and our brand new shiny website.

So totally inappropriate right now to be like Hey, come look at us.

What they should have done is say:

Hey, how can we help all of  you? You’re our students, you have given us tons of money. How can we support you now that you may not have any clients or customers coming to you?

But no, this email was all about them.

Do not do that! Do not make it all about yourself. Not right now.

I’m not saying that you have to go give money or give things away for free. But don’t make it about yourself right now.

Be thinking about people in your community – online and in person.

Be thinking about your customers and your clients. How can you show up and support them?

Have a brand new website? Put that announcement ON HOLD.

Wait for things to settle down. For them to get back to normal [or some version of normal].

That’s when you share your big news, your big announcements about yourself and your company.

Do not do that right now.

It’s just not appropriate.

Right now, people have a lot of anxiety and they’re nervous.

What should you do?

They need to be supported [just as you may need to be supported right now, as well].

Think about how you’re strategizing your plans right now and figure out how you can support your community and your customers and clients.

❤️
Chrissy