Living in a COVID World Means Businesses Must Look through a Different Lens

Let’s face it. You were either a big loser or a big winner in 2020. Covid has changed our world. And is continuing to do so.

Here are some of the big losers:

• Restaurants
• In-person events
• College and professional sports
• Churches
• Entertainment/Movie theatres
• Schools and universities
• Retailers

Here are some of the big winners:

• Online retailers – Amazon, Apple
• Big tech – Twitter, Facebook, YouTube
• Online training – Zoom
• Delivery services
• Medical device providers
• Pharmaceutical companies
• Entrepreneurial companies that adjusted to new opportunities

Depending upon where you fell in these categories determines your outlook on life right now. If you run a small business you’ve had to make major adjustments just to stay afloat. However, some creative entrepreneurs have developed alternative ways of making a living from their businesses.

I have a friend who owns a manufacturing business in Sweden. He wondered if his company could make some of the medical items the government was having a hard time finding. He met with his staff and they determined they could make gowns needed in the emergency rooms of the overrun hospitals. It became their largest selling product that exceeded their previous year’s annual sales just for that product than all the rest combined!

I heard of a college kid that heard that elderly people could not get out to get food and other items they needed due to Covid. He began to offer delivery and pickup for items they needed. Pretty soon word got out and his phone began to ringing off the hook. A business was born!

There is a story in the Old Testament in the Bible about a widow who was on her last meal. The prophet Elijah was her only source of help. She explained her plight to the prophet and the prophet asked her an interesting question: “What do you have in your house?” She said, “Nothing, really.”

The prophet inquired further: “Do you have any oil lamps?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Collect all the oil lamps in your house and ask your neighbors if you can have their oil lamps.”

She returned to the prophet and he told her to pour out the oil in the lamps into a container and go sell the oil. That is what you shall live on. The oil never stopped flowing from any of the lamps!

The prophet combined her obedience with a miracle of multiplication.

Let’s go back to the original question. A paraphrase would be, “What do you have in your hand that can be used to provide for yourself?”

When we are faced with lean times we need to ask the same question. What do I have in my hand? Maybe it’s a skill I have not been using. Maybe there is a relationship I need to tap into. Maybe there are things in your home you could sell. Maybe your business could provide a different service that is needed in a pandemic. Maybe it’s time to transition into that new career you’ve have been putting off.

So, what do you have in your hand?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Os Hillman is an internationally recognized speaker, author, and consultant on the subject of faith in the workplace. Hillman has written twenty books on faith and work-related subjects and a daily workplace email devotional entitled TGIF - Today God Is First that is read by several hundred thousand people daily in 105 countries. He has been featured on CNBC, NBC, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, The Associated Press, and many other national media as a spokesperson on faith in the workplace. Os is founder and president of Marketplace Leaders, an organization designed to equip men and women to live out their calling in and through the marketplace, and through this ministry, he has equipped leaders in twenty-six countries. Os is married to Pamela, and they live in north Atlanta. Os has one daughter, Charis, married to Justin. To contact Os Hillman, send your email to os@marketplaceleaders.org.

You may also contact Os Hillman at Leadership Speakers Bureau to schedule him for speaking or leadership engagements.