I didn’t see that coming.

Late February, I was in Rome to watch some Rugby and introduce my wife to the eternal city. As a side benefit, I was meeting a client for lunch.

He had come down from Northern Italy, and was extremely concerned about something called a Corona Virus.

Shock

Lime. Speaking with clients, it was clear that their revenues were going to be decimated, if not wiped out, for a period of time. I elected to get ahead of the curve, and agreed invoice-holidays. I saw no advantage in demanding payment when clients were hurting.

Loggedoff. Royal Mail has maintained service throughout the lockdown. We were able to make some adjustments to fulfilment to maintain social distancing, and keep the business ticking over. We moved to minimise cost, hoping that we could tread water until the threat passed. So far, so good.

Podcasts and writing. These are entirely remote. Podcast audiences have taken a hit – as often people listened on their commutes. However – the podcast is not about revenue.

Bottom line, I have taken some hits, revenue-wise, but the businesses survive.

Opportunities

The world has changed, and changes still. In change is opportunity.

Lime will provide support that is remote. Getting people together in a room seems alien now. Webinars, video calls are the new normal. There will be savings on travel, on venue hire, and the logistics for gathering entire teams in one place. Some of those savings accrue to Lime. Always an incentive to innovate.

Customer support for Nero’s Notes is wonderful. The site is more than a shop – and I will redesign it to reflect that.

Brexit. Remember that? Some might argue that there was never going to be a trade deal, others say that Covid-19 should be cause for a delay of the UK’s exit. Current thinking is that the chances of a no deal are increasing. I’m British, with an extensive network of contacts in the UK, with expertise and experience in financial services, and resident in the EU. That has spawned an opportunity or two.

Resource Investigation

The key to managing as sudden and complete a change as this, is communication. Talk to people. Check-in with people. That smart device you have? It makes phone calls too, you know. Call people, chew the fat. Find out what’s happening in your sphere. That’s where you’ll find opportunity. Quite apart from that, you will feel better, and the person you call will feel better.