With more measures being put into place as of the 4th January businesses find themselves once again challenged with operating throughout stricter lockdown procedures. How can your business survive another lockdown if you rely on your daily operations?
Grant Schemes And Furlough
Throughout the pandemic, the government has released many different grant schemes. The latest grants focused on retailer, hospitality and leisure sectors. These grants will be worth up to £9k per property. With an additional £594 being made available for Local Authorities and the Devolved Administrations to support other businesses not eligible for the grants.
“This will help businesses to get through the months ahead – and crucially it will help sustain jobs, so workers can be ready to return when they are able to reopen.” – Chancellor Rishi Sunak, 5th January 2021
There have also been several “one-off top-ups” granted to closed businesses. This includes:
£4,000 for businesses with a rateable value of £15,000 or under
£6,000 for businesses with a rateable value between £15,000 and £51,000
£9,000 for businesses with a rateable value of over £51,000
The furlough scheme introduced back in 2020 was also extended until April of this year, with the government contributing 80% towards wages. This has allowed businesses to ensure they can pay their team members through the pandemic and limit the costs incurred.
Business Resilience
Surviving Lockdown 3 is going to be a true test of a lot of businesses’ resilience. When you hunker down and wait for everything to get better your resources will soon be stretched to their breaking point. So, you have to find a way to keep your business in motion. A lot of businesses have taken this as an opportunity to refine their online offering and pivot their business to digital platforms. Whether this is revamping their websites or completely changing how clients and customers interact with their brick and mortar businesses. There has been a huge emphasis on delivery. So procuring an effective delivery system is essential. For those who provide services, it’s a matter of complying with the government guidelines.
Jumpstart Your Marketing
Establishing and maintaining a good social media presence is now an important attribute for any business. With more and more businesses jumping on social selling and reinventing themselves for digital. Jump-starting your digital marketing is going to be a key element to survive lockdown 3. Make sure you have a social selling strategy in place and an easy as possible way to manage your business remotely. You can market your business and sell online without having to overkill the process. Take it one step at a time and get the basics nailed down. If you already have an online presence, now is the time to take it a step further and really strategize. The sooner you act, the better the outcome for your business.
To survive lockdown 3 you need to use all every tool available. Even if we’re very much hindered by our ability to work as a team in house. It’s motivation, innovation and dedication that will drive us forwards.
