Lesson 2

Make agility and
flexibility
your
strong suits.

  • “I’ve studied every recession back to the Great Depression and found a common trend. At the end of every recession is a burst or surge period, meaning there’s less supply than demand. The businesses that sustain and maintain through this crisis will then be in the position for the surge and capture all that pent-up demand.”

    —Mike Michalowicz, American author, entrepreneur and lecturer

  • Small is your
    superpower.

    Your ability to zig, zag, pivot and reinvent quickly puts your business in a powerful position. Make that your secret weapon. Improving your ability to rapidly adjust to changing demands can mean everything for your success right now.

  • Find opportunities in the new normal.

    The pandemic taught us that people want new services in new ways. That created new opportunities for businesses that could shift focus to address the newly created demand. Many of these services are projected to remain in demand after the pandemic, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. These include in-home fitness, e-commerce, food delivery, virtual events, telemedicine, gaming and more.

Those that have adapted to embrace digital tools may find it easier to access new markets and target new customers, according to a recent small business technology trends report from Deloitte.

The good news is that agility and flexibility are the very foundation that many small businesses are built on. They typically have small, nimble teams that take on multiple roles and are used to changing course quickly.

The smaller nature of the business can lend itself to the development of deeper, more personalized relationships with customers, so it’s easier to see when they need to shift gears.


Small business spotlight

    • Dimensional Training

      Growing your business: You gotta start somewhere.

      It’s all-consuming just to run your business each day. Still, taking the time to brainstorm new ways to grow your business is worth the effort. That’s exactly the approach Dimensional Training Studios is taking. 

    • Dimensional Training

      Growing your business: You gotta start somewhere.

      Using a technique called green-light thinking—which was suggested by their Verizon Comeback Coach Graham Dobbin—the business owners listed out all of their ideas for change. This led them to develop a plan to use social media to attract and certify new movement specialists to help them expand, while taking advantage of modern technology like mobile hotspots to keep them connected on the go.

    • Dimensional Training

      Growing your business: You gotta start somewhere.

      Knowing it could be overwhelming to try to accomplish big goals, they broke their efforts into small steps. Focusing on what could be completed today, tomorrow and within a week’s time gives them much-needed momentum to move forward.

  • “Now we have a better perspective of how to organically grow our business.”

    —Andrew and Adriana McCreary, co-owners, Dimensional Training Studios and Verizon Business customers

Take action.

Try these budget-friendly growth tips from best-selling author Rhonda Abrams.

  • #1

    Try many things as inexpensively as possible.

    If they don’t work, think about what you learned and move on.

  • #2

    Take a low-tech approach to MVPs.

    Many tech startups have become giants by testing out minimum viable products (MVPs) before pouring money into big ideas. You may find that temporary solutions can become long-term business drivers.

  • #3

    Be resourceful.

    You don’t need a professional consultant for everything. Hire your friend’s college-student kid to do some social-media marketing. Their enthusiasm and fresh perspective can make up for any lack in experience.

  • #4

    Look off the shelf.

    Take advantage of templated website builders and other services and programs to get word out about your business in creative and direct ways. Contact your local small-business development center for resources that may be available.

  • #5

    Partner with other small businesses.

    Stick together. Spread the word to shop small and local. By banding together, you can remind customers that the money they spend with you stays in the community.

  • #6

    Believe in yourself.

    Entrepreneurs take charge and wake up with an attitude that they’ll do something today to change their lives.

  • Personal health training video conferencing with client while at gym
    • Solutions that support agility and growth

    • Finding the right tools can help you stay connected when and where you need, so you can react quickly to changing conditions and new opportunities. After all, being nimble is a key advantage for businesses of all sizes in today’s market.

    • Hotspots móviles

      With simple and affordable mobile hotspots, you can take your business where you want and stay connected to customers, collaborate with colleagues and access the data you need—while avoiding public Wi-Fi.

      Explore devices
    • Video conferencing solutions

      Choose an easy-to-use and affordable modern video-conferencing solution to help you take your business where you want to go. Collaborate effectively with video, audio and web conferencing on any web-enabled device. Or even host, manage and livestream interactive events for large audiences.

      Find out how

    Let's get started.