The post The Imapact of COVID-19 on Banks first appeared on Tekrati and is written by Gia Patterson

Many businesses have had to close as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, while others have had to adapt their operations. Many firms were prompted to pivot for pandemic success and adapt to changing market conditions as a result of the outbreak. We interviewed 26 company owners and entrepreneurs in the United States to understand more about the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on businesses and how it affected their operations.

INTERVIEW HOST

The host of this interview was Jed Morley. Jed Morley is the CEO of a leading payment processing service provider called PlatPay.

Table of Contents

The question we asked:

The pandemic encouraged many businesses to pivot and adapt to changing market conditions. How did you adapt? Did you introduce additional product lines or services?

Jessi Beyer

As a speaker, the pandemic could have sent my business crashing to the ground, but instead, a simple pivot from in-person presentations to virtual presentations allowed my revenue from speaking gigs to skyrocket during the second half of 2020 and beyond. While this pivot seems obvious, there were two key things I did that made this pivot as successful as it was.

First, I put some serious thought into how I could make virtual presentations as engaging as in-person ones. People were already sitting on Zoom all day, so I didn’t want them to just sit there and listen to me blab on for an hour.

Secondly, I sold bulk copies of my book to event and conference hosts that booked me to speak so that, firstly, attendees would have something they could physically touch and engage with after my virtual presentation, and secondly, the revenue from each virtual gig would be increased.

After so much time doing virtual presentations more frequently than in-person ones, I have to say that I like virtual ones more! They’re more accessible for attendees and less time consuming for me, and they allow me to speak at multiple events across all parts of the country in the span of a few short days.

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Lucie Chavez

Here at Radaris, we had to pivot in a big way in order to keep everyone safe and secure, while also continuing with the forward momentum we had leading up to the pandemic. We seemed to have a communication issue between departments and different levels within the company. A specific team was very communicative with each other, but there was an issue in continuously relaying progress and specific updates to the rest of the team in a timely manner.

This caused some delays and confusion among different teams who were waiting on the other for a specific item or answer. We also struggled to figure out an effective communication line from the managerial team down to part-time employees and more junior-level employees.

We had to find a way to connect everyone for important communications and also figure out how we can relay messages to other parts of the company. It came down to finding the most effective programs for us and making sure everyone was on the right page. Once we found these platforms and put them into effect, we had an easier job in staying on the same page, but there was definitely a learning period.

We had to find out who would do what and how they could do it to be effective. I think we had to stumble a bit early on in order to find our way and make sure we are as effective at communicating virtually as we needed to be. After that, things were much easier for us!

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Manville Chan

I founded The Story of Ramen in 2016 in San Francisco. We host ramen cooking classes as corporate team building events. We welcome company teams to our facility and make ramen as an offsite activity.

The majority of our customer base tech companies such as Uber, Facebook, Google and Salesforce which see great value in team-building activities for their employees. Prior to the pandemic, we hosted an average of 800-1,000 people per month.

We found our niche and market our business mainly via SEO traffic to our web site as well as positive word of mouth. Obviously with the pandemic, in-person events ended and all customers canceled their events in March 2020. By April 2020, we introduced virtual ramen cooking classes, which includes an instructor-led Zoom session and ramen kits delivered to our customers’ doorsteps.

It has become a hit as companies are desperately trying to find ways to motivate remote/work from home employees. When we first introduced virtual classes, we had a steep learning curve in knowing how to package and ship perishable food ingredients across the country and how to make the experience more interactive and engaging. We have learned and adapted very quickly mainly through feedback from our valued customers and simply making mistakes!

As the pandemic continued, we found ways to expand our business beyond the Bay Area as we host events all over the US and globally. We are also no longer limited to the capacity of the facility which seats 40-45 people. We frequently host nationwide corporate events with 100+ people.

Our virtual business grew from 150 guests in July 2020 to close 1,800 in December 2021. We recently launched an udon class that allows us to ship ingredient kits internationally; and we’re getting a lot of traction lately.

I do think that the stress brought by the pandemic actually helped us to think outside the box to grow our business, turning lemons into lemonade. Previously, we were in our comfort zone and we were too busy to innovate.

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Rohan Kadam

Hello, I am a marketing consultant and an established entrepreneur. I run a successful Niche website called Biking Know How.

I would like to share how I quit my job as a banker at JP Morgan Chase and started my blogging business for less than $1000 and turned it into a successful business. I started my blog just as a hobby.

I scaled my business, especially during the challenging COVID pandemic, and made it profitable in a short period (From the first month itself). I focused on doubling down my efforts on growing my niche website, which was initially just my passion project.

I would say that my online business has helped me stay occupied, motivated, and financially stable. I love the outdoors, biking and camping. I always wanted to share my unique experience with people. Initially, I would maintain a diary and would write about my outdoor camping endeavors.

Thanks to social media and my website, my audience over time has increased significantly. With social media and my website, many more people can access my adventures and plan their own.

This gives me immense joy and fulfillment. Some of the details on my blog are as follows.

1. Bikingknowhow.com is my third blog (I run 2 blogs currently, all in different niches. I sold my first blog) that I had started. And it today gets approximately 5,000 monthly unique visitors. I earn money through two Ad-Networks namely, Google AdSense and Media.net which show ads on my website. (I make a minimum of $200 per month with both ad networks combined).
2. I also partnered with Amazon via an affiliate partnership, and I promote the products and services of Amazon on my website (I make approximately $100 per month) by promoting products on my blog.

Challenges
As far as the hardest part or challenges are concerned, I had to face many, but two challenges stand out the most. They are as follows.

1. Time Management:
This was a very significant challenge because I was managing and growing my blog while having a full-time job. I would use my weekends and holidays to educate myself on skills, especially web development and digital marketing.

My blog allowed me to have multiple streams of income. As I saw decent cash flow coming in, I was interested to upskill myself on digital marketing and social media. I knew this would require my time and dedication. So, at every opportunity that I got to polish my skills, I made sure that I dedicated my time and attention to get better.

2. Getting Right Education
Well, to educate and polish my skills in digital marketing, I enrolled in many digital marketing and web development courses. I used platforms like Udemy and Udacity to enroll in the courses. I started voraciously reading blogs and success stories of food bloggers. This helped me get creative and experiment with the growth strategy of my blog.

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Peter Ord

“The pre-pandemic world looks much different than our current times. With more employees working remotely or within a hybrid-like environment than ever before, we wanted to ensure that we adjusted our product, GuideCX, to meet the needs of business professionals everywhere, no matter what their workspace looks like.

It is critical for internal and external teams to be on the same page right from the beginning in order to achieve long-term success – and that begins with the client onboarding process.

We recently introduced a tool that we had been working on for years called the Navigator Reporting Engine because we recognized the need for teams to be able to understand each component of a project and the bigger picture of how it all intertwines, whether they are working side by side or across the world from one another.

The Engine offers never-before-seen metrics including forecasting revenues and the ability to meet deadlines, creating a strong foundation for projects and continued growth.”

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Ian Sells

We know how the pandemic has forced people to stay indoors and this has caused a huge spike not only in the number of people doing online shopping, but even the time they spent doing so. Surveys also found that many people do so on their phones more than on their computers.

To meet this customer behavior and make the most out of the influx of people doing online shopping, we decided to launch an app for both iPhone and Android users. This makes it a lot easier for them to shop and save money.

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Eddie Bye

I’m Eddie. Founder of Physio Flex Pro. As a business owner during the pandemic, I either had to give up and stop doing business or continue. Fortunately, I was able to make my joint supplement business profitable. I want to share the realization that I had.

As well as the challenges faced and lessons learned along the way The biggest lesson that I’d learnt during this whole crisis is that you get a chance to improve your life when a huge problem comes. Some of us are entitled. We want things to be given to us. We don’t want to work, we don’t want to suffer, we just want the good things in life despite our character not deserving it.

And so tragedy happens and we find ourselves whining. It’s important to understand that an entrepreneurial life without crisis is not possible. You’re going to encounter one if you play this game long enough. Knowing this, we understand that it’s useless to want something that is impossible.

Furthermore, I realized that in order to solve a business problem, you need to improve as an entrepreneur. The best solution that I found during the pandemic was by changing myself initially and letting it reflect on my business. I consider it a blessing considering that I make money the more I improve myself. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out. 

Lauren Gast

Chief Marketing Officer on Pivoting in the Face of a Pandemic Because truck drivers are a part of one of America’s Essential Industries, pivoting in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic was of the utmost importance. Before the pandemic, our training required our instructors and students to be in close contact with each other constantly.

After COVID numbers began to rise, and supply chain shortages became more prevalent, we knew that stopping classes altogether was not an option. To create a safe CDL training environment for our students and staff so we could continue training, we developed a comprehensive pandemic protocol. In accordance with CDC guidelines, we instructed our trainees to postpone their training if they had recently been exposed to the virus or were experiencing flu-like symptoms.

We also published extensive sanitation and social distancing guidelines, requiring that our trainees wash their hands often and keep their masks on during in-cab training and testing. —Lauren Gast, Chief Marketing Officer at Truck Driver Institute, a truck driving school with eleven campuses across the United States 

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Brice Gump

The onset of the pandemic brought a shock to the system of many companies including ours. It is no secret that marketing services become a secondary concern for several businesses but as a business leader it has always been my priority to never remain stationary when faced with a crisis and to keep it ongoing.

The one thing that I did was constantly stay engaged with my existing clients and even network more than usual on my social media platforms to increase engagement and spread greater brand awareness. We started posting testimonials on our website to show potential clients a more realistic aspect of the services provided.

Constant engagement helped me gain more clients than I thought I would in these turbulent times and we even increased our brand awareness through this. we had to return clients as well. It wasn’t all sunshine and happiness for us, we faced serval setbacks with communication and workflow being hindered due to the transition from physical to remote/ hybrid work. But with a great team and the use of efficient crisis management, we learned to adapt and supported each other to adjust to the new norms.

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Richard Lubicky

Ever since the pandemic, the whole world has been transforming, whether our lifestyle or business! Majorly, a lot of businesses have had serious impacts!

Since such changes have Vern accounted as the new normal, businesses have to alter and align their business goals and vision to grab opportunities at the right time to gain competitive advantage.

Considering such a situation and changes, I also altered some of my Cybersecurity SaaS business elements to become a leader in the market. Since people had to wait in long queues in government offices to find vital information, we advanced our reach and provided them with that information within a fraction of seconds!

Most of our services are introduced as free services to help our clients test the deep waters! We added client reports and background checks as our revenue-generating streams. This was largely possible due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

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Paul Baterina

The pandemic presented unique challenges for businesses all across the board. Sleep Advisor was fortunate in that the bulk of our workforce (our marketers, developers and bloggers to name a few) already worked remotely before Covid-19, so all we needed to do was modify our work model to a remote environment for everyone who works in our headquarters (myself included) in Austin, Texas.

The pandemic gave us an opportunity to use alternative digital platforms to intensify our planning phases for our digital marketing campaigns and collaborate remotely simultaneously. For example, we shifted all our work communications and physical operations over to Slack and Microsoft Teams so we could utilize video calls and digital channels for specific work departments and projects.

My team and I at HQ had lots of days where our digital platforms didn’t sync up the way we hoped and where we experienced difficulties with performing certain tasks timeously. For example, we often struggled to stay on schedule with filming our YouTube demonstration videos due to some of our main vloggers contracting Covid-19 and needing to stay in quarantine and recover at different stages of 2021.

With that said, we did our best to keep the lines of communication open, express empathy and support those of us who couldn’t cope as well with our workload and physical health during the pandemic. We’re still learning and constantly finding new ways not only to survive during these trying times, but to thrive as well.

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Kim Marie Branch-Pettid

The pandemic was a shock to all of us and we had to make some quick changes to adjust to the state of the world and do whatever we could to stay afloat. It was especially important to me to ensure that all my members and staff felt supported and had the resources necessary to succeed in spite of the times.

To offset barriers to connection in the pandemic, I invested in LeTip Wired, a new proprietary software and mobile app that helps members electronically track existing business networks and recruit new members. Introducing LeTip Wired certainly helped my team feel like they belong to a nationwide community and ultimately ensured many small businesses wouldn’t have to close their doors.

As a result, between 2020 and 2021 we were able to invite more guests and had a 60% join rate. Thanks to a recent LeTip membership survey, I also discovered that many of LeTip’s members across the US also made individual changes to their businesses in order to adapt to the rapidly changing market conditions.

For example, Jack Watkinson is a member of LeTip of Somerset Hills representing the I.T. category for the Somerset Hills Chapter in New Jersey with a company called Outsource My I.T. He reported that in 2020 he used more online methods of service, added new products, and services to his catalog, hired new employees while retaining most of his employees.

Similarly, Chief Executive Officer at H3 Systems and member of LeTip of Napa, CA, Donald Hartung reported that to offset business slowing down he used more online methods of service and adjust because of supply chain issues as well.

About LeTip International: LeTip International, Inc., the world’s largest privately-owned business leads organization, is a networking organization made up of members held to the highest caliber of professionalism and achievement, all of whom strive to do business with one another.

Founded in 1978, LeTip has more than 250 chapters throughout the USA and Canada and is credited with hundreds of thousands of business referrals per year. Setting the standard for referral organizations, LeTip members are known throughout the B2B referral industry for their dedication to helping each other grow their businesses. Join a chapter or start your own at letip.com.

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Nathan Hughes

Due to the pandemic and its subsequent restrictions, both small and large businesses have suffered. As a marketing firm, we had barred traditional methods to market products and services. Traditional PR strategies were no longer functional. At the right moment, digital platforms came in as aid for us.

Digital Marketing and PR strategies, including backlinks, SEO (On-page and Off-page), social media, and email marketing, were some of the best strategies that helped our firm soar high from this pandemic.

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Adit Jain

The pandemic brought with it a lot of uncertainty for companies and people alike. Back then, we had not secured our series fundings, and we were operating with a smaller fund. We’ve always strived to be as transparent as possible with our team. So, following that same principle, we conducted town hall meetings and apprised each member of Leena AI of the situation regarding our finances.

Every member of our team was on board, and in fact, delivered 200% more than what we expected. Their perseverance reflected their dedication and motivation towards the company. Soon after, we secured our Series A funding, followed by Series B in the second consecutive year, and things started to get back on track.

For us at Leena AI, the pandemic really helped us grow as a company, both internally and externally. This adaptation to Covid brought in new ideas – we were introspective on what we learnt as a company, and utilized that to build solutions for enterprises that were facing issues brought on during the pandemic.

We introduced a number of products, such as the Covid-19 Workplace Response Suite, which assists organizations facilitate a safer return to the workplace, by helping them track and maintain employee vaccination records, employee health statuses, employee rostering, and even booking vaccination slots. In addition to this, during the pandemic we were approached by a number of healthcare providers for their requirements of a similar product.

One to track systems for vaccination statuses for both patients and staff, send reminders to patients about their second or booster doses, conduct Covid tests, and so on. We also came up with Work-From-Home surveys for employees to keep a check on their wellbeing, both mental and physical. In my opinion, Leena AI took the pandemic head-first and came out stronger, larger, and better than ever.

We pooled in all our resources, gave it a 100% and assisted millions of employees around the world cope with the pandemic.

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Edith Pearce

As a law firm involved with personal injury cases, we constantly have paperwork our clients must sign. Some of these documents include fee agreements, medical authorizations, and settlement agreements.

This often meant the client would have to come into our office to sign various paperwork during their case. When the pandemic hit, we began using DocuSign to provide clients the ability to electronically sign documents.

The DocuSign electronic signature solution in the United States complies with the definition of an electronic signature under the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce (ESIGN) Act and the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA).

This has allowed our clients to sign all of their documents in the comfort of their own homes. While we have also adopted other tools such as video conferencing software, DocuSign will probably be the most important remote working tool for our firm in 2021.

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Michael Dean

The biggest way my company had to adapt during the pandemic was in our online presence. With consumers stuck at home, it meant they were spending way more time on their devices. In order to continue growing as a business and obtaining a bigger audience, we had to start optimizing our business site for mobile use, and developing more of a presence on social media.

New businesses are popping up online everyday, so prioritizing your business’ online presence is crucial. As a content-based business, website traffic is currency, and the only way to secure consistent traffic is to lean into the current global digital landscape.

Tennille Thomas

I adapted to changing market conditions by doing things in reverse by creating a brand new business model that was a continuum of my current model. My business model was to create a living canvas if you will; whereby my products had to become services and my services became products.

This would spark innovation for the continual creation of products and services born out of the services and products I currently offer. In other words, my industry encompasses e-commerce, health/beauty, from the realm of natural skin care. I had to find a way to combine all those elements without losing the voice of my brand.

Please understand that your brand is your voice visually. It will speak for you before you show up. It is imperative for the message of your brand to be clear and concise so that people can identify it and engage with it no matter the platform(s) being utilized to represent it. By introducing new services and products out of your current offerings you will not compromise your brand identity.

For example, one of my products is a luxury hand oil. I made this oil come to life for my customers by way of a demonstration video in real time. This not only increased engagement by making them feel a part of the product but encouraged sales in real time. In addition, I created a service that is video on demand for those who truly desired this type of educational engagement by way of a subscription. It provides a platform for them to be able to watch how to use these products and services at their leisure.

Lastly, providing them an opportunity to engage with me directly. As a result of that direct engagement, opportunities have been afforded to those that are active on my platform. Such as participation in helping to create a product. If I use that product their contribution is recognized, they are given perks and directly become a part of my specialized engagement team.

As an entrepreneur you have to be innovative, creative, and inventive to separate yourself from the masses with never compromising your customer base. You do this by employing hi-touch.

You will not only create multiple streams of income for yourself but be able to continuously create avenues of opportunities and one of a kind experiences for your customers. Who would of thought that all of this would derive from a product that turned into a service sparked by innovation through the service that would create a product everlasting.

Darren Lopez

 “We adapted our business plan in two different ways. First, we added product lines that we thought people in the new normal would find appealing, including a new adult beverage we call Milli. We also added additional immune and health-related products including our Be-OnGuard series targeted toward people that want to “be on guard” against viruses and bacteria.

In addition, we adapted our distribution strategies and started focusing on streamlining and simplifying the sales process with an enhanced emphasis on direct sales and a new aggressive Amazon strategy.”

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Carter Reum

When we look at the pandemic and its effects on companies across the globe, it’s important to also look for some of the positives that have come from such an unexpected situation. Many companies have made huge pivots; yet this has also encouraged those businesses to become more innovative, creative, and open to taking well-calculated risks.

Some employees are finding that they can be more productive even when working remotely. Of course, many companies have found the pandemic conditions to be challenging, but just as many are also finding newfound strength and exponential growth. Specifically, we’ve seen that wellness and mental well-being are now unprecedented opportunities for innovation and investment.

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Greg Gillman

Being a leader during a pandemic will put your leadership skills to the test–most importantly empathy and flexibility. With the ever-changing rules surrounding the pandemic comes a lack of structure or even an office, which can potentially lead to feelings of isolation, lack of motivation, disruptions to processes, and even workplace conflict.

During these uncertain times, you can’t lead with certainty, which can be a challenge to leaders stuck in their ways. Pay close attention to your employees and their performance, and be sure to be sympathetic to their needs and pivot when and where necessary to ensure optimal success.

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Ryan Rottman

Functioning effectively as a leader or an entrepreneur during a pandemic is only viable if you can be flexible and understand how and when to pivot. This means encouraging innovative thinking and really listening to all the ideas your team brings to the table – big or small.

Playing it safe in uncertain times might seem appealing, but it’s important to take risks in order to yield results. Additionally, as some business environments slow down to accommodate changes, use this opportunity to brainstorm and plan for your next big move!

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Becky Brown

As a blogging business, we noticed a big increase in traffic as the pandemic grew but our audience’s demands grew as well. Producing content was no longer enough to convert our audience as they were looking for more concrete ways to engage with our business. What we did to adapt was we built a new webpage that shows limited-time shopping deals where our customers can quickly and easily buy their favorite products at a discount.

All we had to do was keep the page up-to-date and running, and our customers were more than happy with the feature. This approach helped us turn a simple shopping blog into something more than that, and we are looking forward to adding even more fun features like this in the future.

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Megan Sumrell

“The pandemic definitely brought many opportunities to add a digital focus to my business. Prior to the pandemic, my planners were all physical planners and much of my training was conducted live or in person. The pandemic caused people to really lean into technology and leverage digital assets more.

I created a digital version of my planner for tablets along with launching an app in the app stores to make training readily available via mobile devices. Now, my customers are able to participate in training events from their phones at their convenience instead of from their office at set times.” 

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Nick Collins

When the pandemic began, my clients in many parts of the country faced shut-down mandates issued by state governments struggling to slow the spread of the novel Coronavirus. Using this time to pivot again, I relaunched my company as Sartoris Digital to offer my clients an expanded and inclusive menu of services.

I previously had worked with big pharma, major airlines, telecommunications, finance, and sporting goods brands, which has given me a diverse set of skills to bring to my growing digital marketing firm. However, when the pandemic hit, I realized that many small businesses could benefit from my services, so he re-launched my offering (previously Sartoris Technologies), to include services that are better suited for small businesses, including better price points and a more tailored, hands-on experience.

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James Parsons

It’s crazy that people thought the importance of content would have decreased many years ago, but it has only risen in importance. Even during the pandemic, content continued its dominance and has been so important for online companies if they want to secure their position in the market.

It’s vital for businesses to have unique, quality content on their website for a variety of reasons. It stands out to potential clients, it helps them rank better on Google, it can be used across their entire marketing strategy, and it can even impact their PR campaigns.

We saw the demand for quality, on-time content when the pandemic hit and we worked hard to find writers who could join our team and become an asset. That’s the biggest thing we had to do when the pandemic hit and we were swamped with work: hire more quality writers so we could keep up with orders, but also cement our place in the industry because of the quality we deliver.

Finding writers to fit our team wasn’t easy, but that was helped by the fact that more people were working from home and open to working remotely. It took time to make a plan and execute it, but we did it and were able to pivot to this new demand.

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Gabriel Dungan

We didn’t introduce any pandemic-specific products or services, but we did use the sudden shift to increased online shopping as an opportunity to really personalize our social media engagement.

We started using customer testimonials and reviews in more marketing campaigns in an attempt to create more unique and personal consumer engagement. With digital engagement becoming the most important part of marketing, we used that as a chance to really invest time and money into creating high quality content on all channels, including TikTok and Instagram.

If you are a business leader and you’re not prioritizing your business’ social media channels, you are going to miss out on tons of possible conversions and traffic.

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The post Pivoting For Pandemic Success: How 26 American Entrepreneurs & Business Owners Adapted To Changing Market Conditions first appeared on Tekrati and is written by Jed Morley

Businesses all throughout the world had to respond quickly and decisively to the pandemic’s difficulties. COVID-19 has impacted nearly every firm in the globe, yet results have varied greatly, even across countries and industries. To learn more about the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on businesses, we interviewed 30 entrepreneurs and business owners in the United States to see how they dealt with the pandemic.

INTERVIEW HOST

The host of this interview was Jed Morley. Jed Morley is the CEO of a leading payment processing service provider called PlatPay.

The question we asked:

The pandemic encouraged many businesses to pivot and adapt to changing market conditions. How did you adapt? Did you introduce additional product lines or services?

Kathleen Ahmmed

The number of active gig workers in the current market has already begun to increase due to the pandemic, as well as the rise of remote work.

This combined with the volatility of the job market in the past two years has proven that the gig economy is a valuable resource that small businesses will now need to take advantage of, in order to adapt, scale and survive in the post-pandemic future.

As such, we have opted to be more agile in our business operations, moving forward by outsourcing some of our projects to more skilled contractors, as we start to focus more on minimizing business costs and maximizing outsourced talent to boost productivity in this new remote work environment.

And an added benefit of this new change is that we no longer have to deal with the hiring and training costs that tend to be associated with bringing in full-time employees.

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Table of Contents

Mike Belsito

COVID seemed to have an impact on all types of businesses. But especially for conference organizers like me, COVID’s impact was especially dramatic. In 2019, my company, Product Collective, generated nearly all of our income from our live, in-person conference series — INDUSTRY: The Product Conference — which serves tech and software product management professionals. Our last in-person conference ended on March 11, 2020 in Dublin, Ireland — a day that felt like the world closed down.

Yet, in 2021 — we enjoyed (nearly) our most profitable year ever despite not putting on a live, in-person event. This happened because of three specific reasons:

1. We took swift action.
While many things were unclear about the longevity of COVID at the time, it was clear to us that live, in-person conferences wouldn’t be happening any time soon. So on the flight home, we began crafting our strategy for how we would change our business. We didn’t wait it out. We worked with extreme urgency.

2. We introduced new product lines that leveraged our strengths.
It wasn’t even two full weeks after we arrived back when we announced the launch of a series of virtual workshops. We already had great relationships with product management leaders and influencers.

Despite us never offering virtual workshops before, we worked with these individuals to create these high-value experiences. Our community responded — as hundreds of attendees signed up for the several sessions we created, which not only provided much-needed immediate revenue, but it also opened up an entirely new business line for us.

3. We reimagined the products we already had.
In 2019, very few virtual conferences existed. Those that first started emerging in 2020 were mostly free. We reimagined what our conference series could look like if it was “virtual-ized” — and still be worthwhile for attendees to pay for. In Spring 2022, we introduced a Virtual edition of INDUSTRY that ended up being one of our most profitable events ever (complete with Ben Folds playing a virtual set just for our attendees!).

We’re grateful to have adapted greatly throughout COVID in a time where many companies that have relied on live events as a primary revenue stream have struggled. But it couldn’t have happened without all of the above happening. 

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Angela Olea

As a nationwide senior placement and referral service, Assisted Living Locators quickly adopted a high-tech and high touch approach to meet the challenges of the pandemic. Our company’s franchisees used ingenuity with virtual consultations and online tours of senior communities to provide care when most facilities closed their doors to tours.

By leveraging technology, our franchisees created joint videos with communities for safe virtual tours, zoom call meetings for in-take interviews, and utilized state health department databases for the latest COVID-19 information to protect older adults. Assisted Living Locators franchisees persevered during the pandemic by upgrading personal service and guidance.

Our 140 Assisted Living Locators franchisees became dementia care certified, making us the first nationwide senior placement service to achieve system-certification. Using this knowledge, along with high tech tools, our franchisees are providing a new standard of solution-based alternatives for families.

Throughout the pandemic, Assisted Living Locators franchisees reached out to their communities to help in many meaningful ways. From letter writing campaigns to isolated seniors, to countless hours of Meals On Wheels volunteering, to collecting and donating iPads to ensure senior veterans connect to their families, our franchisees have worked tirelessly to support and improve the quality of life for seniors.

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Corey Tyner

Everyone wants to buy and sell
I had a firm belief that there are still a lot of determined buyers out there who want to take advantage of the current market. I took advantage of the bright side, such as low-interest rates. I realized that market activity would continue despite what the pandemic may appear to be.

Using technology
No more face-to-face meetings with prospects or clients, much smaller open houses, and no door-knocking/networking to generate leads are all examples of social distance.

Virtual meetings
Until further notice, everything was under lockdown, and this was a new reality. So I didn’t simply sit around waiting for it to end since I didn’t know how long it would take. I had to adapt and overcome obstacles. When I needed to talk to a prospect or customer who would ordinarily call for a face-to-face appointment, I utilized video chat apps like Zoom, Skype, or Google Hangouts. Video calls are far more successful than phone conversations in establishing rapport.

Hosting virtual open houses
At the time, open houses were ghost towns. Furthermore, several brokerages were beginning to prohibit them for the time being open. What was my strategy if I didn’t want to lose my listing? Having a virtual open house. There were several approaches I could take. Ideally, I hired a 3D camera technician to come in and film a tour. I put the 3D photos on a landing page and used Facebook and Google ads to promote the “virtual open house.”

Digital marketing
I’ve always been a big fan of Facebook and Google advertisements since they’ve helped me develop my business. And while the pandemic may not have seemed like the perfect moment to start using Facebook advertisements at the time, it turned out to be the exact opposite. That was a fantastic moment to launch Facebook advertisements.

Why? Many people were lounging around at home doing nothing except browsing social media. As a result, more individuals were viewing my adverts. Because many other businesses had to cut back on their advertising, there was less competition. Consequently, I was able to get more exposure for less money, resulting in exceptionally cheap costs-per-lead. I experienced around 30% more ad reach during the pandemic.

Some types of ad campaigns that I ran: Hottest homes for sale in (area) under ($X) Virtual open house Free guide for home buyer’s Free guide for home valuation Free guide for home seller’s Please link this to my website ‘Buy Yo Dirt’

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Luisa Favaretto

When the pandemic hit, we quickly realized that people were not going to be able to travel much, so we transformed our travel website into one that focused more on places to live and settle.

We updated our content based on interviews and market research to reflect the shift in people’s preferences for cities that offer more space and are more livable overall. As a result of this shift, we have achieved more growth in 2021 than ever before.

Stephen Light

The pandemic heightened environmental awareness, and over the past two years, consumer demands for organizational transparency and accountability regarding social causes have spiked.

Our mission was always focused on the elimination of harsh chemicals found in typical memory foam mattresses, but the pandemic threw into relief just how much more we could be doing to offset climate change, especially in the eyes of consumers.

In 2021, our company committed to a more eco-friendly footprint and launched products made with sustainable latex and bamboo materials. A pivot towards further sustainability was exactly what we felt the mattress industry needed to stay relevant and in touch with the world. We sourced all-natural and sustainable materials like Talalay latex, organic cotton and wool, and recycled steel coils.

Our two new latex hybrid mattresses and new bamboo sheet set are the truly natural options that we felt the market needed.

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Monica Barnett

I run a wardrobe styling and personal branding company which is traditionally very hands-on (e.g., touching fabrics, dressing people, ensuring fit, connecting with people) but the pandemic put a halt to that along with all of my speaking opportunities.

Given I am visual when I think of the word pivot, I immediately envision a line that is required to change directions thus creating an acute or obtuse angle of some sort, and then the line continues moving in that new direction.

As a small business owner, I adapted by making my services accessible digitally and being able to access me online/virtually. More specifically, I created an online style school to allow people to do short-form courses that still allowed them to pose questions to me but get the key takeaways that I would share in a one-on-one session, I doubled down on my social media by getting a social media marketer to help me create more posts that would engage people so they could still feel a “connection” to me and like they were getting to know me, and I shifted all of my in-person services to virtual options but leaving the same pricing intact.

I think the BIG keys in my pivot were not just offering virtual styling but:

1. In finding ways to stay connected and create touchpoints so clients felt like they were still get personalized attention, and
2. Reinforcing that style needs to happen whether they were at home, on Zoom, or doing occasional in-office. So no new services but finding ways to change the current services to virtual offerings!!

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Peter Robert

The pandemic has forced businesses across all industries to implement massive digital transformation efforts to stay relevant and productive. With ECS Office being a business that provides IT management services, we used the pandemic to update and increase the services that we provide.

Many businesses at the beginning of the pandemic had no idea how to run a remote working environment, so we decided to use that as an angle for advertising and pushing our services. We began using our social media more consistently, and advertising content on our business website that could provide business leaders with more insight into navigating their IT through the pandemic.

By creating more specific, useful social media engagement, this helped increase traffic on our website, and secure more conversions in the long-run. One of the most popular features we offer at ECS Office is our free IT consultations for businesses. This was something we really decided to push at the beginning of the pandemic, as it’s a very affordable way for businesses to gain insight into the current state of their business’ IT department.

During times of transition, collecting as much insight and information as possible is crucial for making informed business decisions.

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William Scott Goldman

Flexibility has always been key to our firm’s survival and growth. And this past year was no exception. Recognizing early on that the pandemic would affect various geographic areas and economic sectors in different ways, we decided to expand our focus globally, also reaching out to a wider range of industries.

As a result, when certain parts of the U.S. and particular regions of the world would see a spike in COVID cases, any consequent declines in demand for our services would be offset by increased demand elsewhere, thus ensuring a consistent flow of business and no interruption of workflow during these challenging times. We now intend to continue with more of the same as we’re perfectly positioned for this year and beyond.

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Liviu Tanase

Our entire team went remote in March 2020, but we soon realized the need for our service was going to increase quickly. As most businesses used email to communicate critical updates, they needed to make sure their email lists were fresh and healthy.

Using an email verifier is a must, so we stayed focused on best serving our customers. On top of that, we launched more tools our customers needed to ensure their emails land in the inbox.

In April 2020, we launched three tools:

• An email server tester to help senders make sure their configurations are correct.
• An inbox placement tester that allows them to see if their emails will land in the inbox (if not, they can adjust before they send).
• A blacklist monitoring tool to help them check if they risk being blocked by inbox providers.

In the spring of 2021, we launched a fourth tool, Activity Data, that tells them which of their subscribers have been active in their inboxes for up to a year prior. While some of our competitors have added extra tools to their platforms, none of them offer the variety of features ZeroBounce does.

The ability to access all these features on one single platform makes ZeroBounce the preferred service for brands like LinkedIn, Airbnb and Samsung. Another critical aspect is that we’ve worked relentlessly on our product and brand awareness. When the pandemic hit, ZeroBounce was already highly regarded in the email verification industry.

The product itself, the 24/7 customer support, our PR and marketing through the years, the awards we received – they all built up our brand, and that certainly helped when we needed to be top of mind. During the pandemic, we’ve intensified our PR and marketing efforts with tremendous results.” — Liviu Tanase, Founder and CEO of ZeroBounce.

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Ouriel Lemmel

The single most important mindset we had to adopt in order to make it through a pandemic was to be flexible. Our business longer functions in the way it always has.

We worked quickly to come up with new ways of thinking about our business and how it would function in the new context. Instead of finding this change stressful, we thought of it as an obstacle to solve.

We immediately introduced more technology into our daily work lives. Video conferencing and collaboration apps made sure our team members were always in contact with each other and felt supported no matter where they were working from. Because we were early adopters, we have managed to stay relevant and we weathered the pandemic coming out ever stronger on the other side.

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Paige Arnof-Fenn

I started a global branding and digital marketing firm 20 years ago. The biggest change for me, my team and my clients from the virus is the shutdown of all networking events, travel and conferences. This is typically a very busy time with many events, trade shows, business meetings on the road, etc. and for the past almost 2 years everyone is staying put and meeting virtually instead.

I have had more Zoom and Skype calls in the past 15 days than the 12 months pre pandemic! Pivoting to online meetings, webinars, etc. is a smart and productive way companies can continue to have conversations that educate and inform, build relationships and move forward during this crisis period.

So first and foremost I have learned to help small businesses to be flexible and open minded so we can keep working together during the crisis and create more flexible capacity going forward over the next year as the economy fully reopens. If small groups on the team want to talk through specific issues (managing anxiety, kids, parents, etc.) virtual coffee meetings online have been helpful too.

A few colleagues have even met online after work for virtual happy hour/beer/cocktails as well when they had more time to chat. It is starting to feel like the new normal by leveraging technology to build and maintain my relationships. We have learned that finding routines and things we can control helps I think.

Communication is key to all of our community, customer and employee engagement. Another pivot because of the pandemic, this is a great time to build your brand through online marketing and social media. Social media and technology are 24/7 so it is easy to get sucked into it but you do not have to let it run your life!

My advice is to pick a few things you enjoy doing and do them really well. You cannot be everywhere all the time so choose high impact activities that work for you and play to your strengths. I am a big fan of Content Marketing and Thought Leadership which are great ways to build your brand, increase your visibility more broadly, raise your profile and attract more clients/customers.

Activities like hosting a podcast or webinar, speaking at a conference online/offline, writing articles, building your following on social media all contribute to increasing your awareness with potential customers and building your credibility with a larger community. If you are not committed to blogging at regular intervals (weekly/biweekly/monthly) instead of trying to start your own blog or newsletter, try contributing regularly to existing well trafficked blogs in your industry or newsletters of like minded organizations reaching the same target audience as you.

Make sure you put your URL or contact info on it so they can find you and follow up. When your articles or talks become available online, make sure to send them out via social media to all your friends, followers and contacts. Everyone is not going to like you or hire you but for the ones who would be a great fit for you make sure they feel and keep a connection and give them a reason to remember you so that when they need your help they think of you first.

Don’t let social media drive you crazy, you do not need to be everywhere, the key is just to pick your platform, it does not matter which ones you choose just pick one or 2 that are authentic to you. It should look and sound like you and the brand you have built. Whether yours is polished or more informal, chatty or academic, humorous or snarky, it is a way for your personality to come through.

Whether you are B2B or B2C, thought leaders need to be on LinkedIn so that they can be found easily. It adds credibility and transparency when you know the people you are meeting or working with. LinkedIn has become more than an online resume or rolodex, it is the foundation for building trusted relationships in the digital economy.

You do not need to blog or be on all social media platforms but make sure you are active on the ones where you are. If your audience does not use Facebook, Twitter or Instagram to find you then you do not need to make them a priority. For many professional service businesses like mine, leveraging LinkedIn matters the most.

We have learned that CRM tools are only as effective as the relationships you have built so disconnecting from technology periodically and focusing on cultivating human, face to face relationships when not social distancing is important. Meeting for coffee or lunch even virtually can accomplish so much more than e-mail exchanges, social media posts, etc. and it is a great way to get to know people better, their interests, hobbies, and dreams.

I have found that building trusted relationships is what drives my business and technology supports them once they are solidified. Technology helps advance the conversation but it will never replace the human interaction that builds trust over time. I predict the most trusted leaders and brands will have a big competitive advantage in the new normal that evolves in a post-Corona world.

Employees, customers and clients will remember who treated them well during the crisis and they will be rewarded with loyalty from earning that trust during the bad times. The current crisis has provided a stage for leaders to rise to the occasion. We have learned that it is about touching people in meaningful ways which may mean being less busy not more for a while.

Maybe the silver lining is that this crisis reminds us that we have always needed each other and we have learned that everyone is struggling right now to find a new normal so the key is to show our humanity and compassion while we look out for one another.

With Zoom, social media, cell phones, etc. we see that technology does not have to be isolating, it can be used to build our real world communities and relationships too! This advice is not fancy and does not require big budgets but it does take time. It is a smart investment to get this right. Authenticity is the key, it has to be and feel real for it to work I think. For professional service firms like mine we will recover even if our revenues slow from the crisis.

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Cody Candee 

The pandemic changed promotional narratives, pushing ecommerce companies to focus their efforts more on informative customer communications that related to their current experiences.

As the stresses of the COVID began to wear on the public, businesses realized that pivoting to a more compassionate and sensitive communication style became necessary.

Addressing physical and mental health concerns of customers and employees alike, and utilizing a public service announcement style, was needed and used by ecommerce businesses to be more sensitive to the current climate. By pivoting in this manner, they were able to show they were part of the community, rather than just selling to it.

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Yuvi Alpert

The pandemic caused many problems, one of the major ones being the shipping of goods, which caused a loss in sales, so last year, we pivoted to pop-up shops to bring our products into the physical market space. The mountain of available retail space created a unique chance for retailers to lease property for short periods of time at very affordable rates.

Pop-up shops generated over 20 billion dollars in revenue in 2021 and will continue to grow in the foreseeable future. They not only allow retailers to get their in-stock products in the hands of customers, but created wonderful branding, promotional, and market research opportunities to continue to benefit businesses in the years to come.

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Woody Sears

The pandemic caused an increased demand on ecommerce businesses, and thus, extra stress on their websites, which means that companies had to pivot towards digital capacity adjustments to handle increased demand.

Nothing can be more crippling to an ecommerce business than a website crash or problems with accepting online purchases. Hiring experts to handle and increase bandwidth capacity, digital communications, and shopping cart transactions, was a necessity in order to avoid disruptions in service.

Ecommerce businesses that brought in professionals to assess, and then implement a strategic plan, were the ones that best weathered the website traffic onslaught.

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Amira Irfan

The pandemic has been a significant event for the world. It has affected the economy, culture, and way of life. The pandemic is not just about the virus, it is also about how you adapt your business to survive. One of the ways we adapted as a company to reach our target market was to focus more on video creation and Facebook Lives rather than written blog content.

We also developed new digital products and services (legal templates and blog online coaching) that people could sign up for and begin receiving results right away. Because people’s attention spans were short, it was critical to design products that were inexpensive and offered quick wins.

Video became a powerful tool for our marketing and business. It has become the most popular form of content on the internet. One of the main reasons why video has become so popular is that it helps communicate ideas in a more personal manner than other types of content like text or images.

It also provides us the opportunity to engage with customers on an emotional level, which leads to higher conversion rates and more sales.

Abe Breuer

There have been a lot of uncertainties and volatility in the market since Covid 19. Most business owners have had a terrible year, from canceled events to supply chain issues to the actual threat of Covid-19.

One thing was certain: we needed to be adaptable. Flexibility is essential in times of extreme uncertainty, as anything that does not bend will break. We learned at VIP To Go and John To Go that our staff was quite concerned about the long- and short-term effects of Covid-19 on themselves and their family.

We wanted to take some of the worries away from our employees because they are like family to us. After a great discussion, we decided to implement a comprehensive healthcare plan for all of our employees.

We only did it because we care about our staff, but we’ve already seen renewed passion and loyalty as a result. Our colleagues once again saw how much we care about them and wanted to reciprocate by showing their gratitude. We also offered a complete refund on any cancellations submitted within 48 hours, which significantly increased our sales.

This was so successful that we continue to do it. Improving communication was also critical to our survival and success. We devised a new communication strategy for clients, partners, suppliers, investors, and other stakeholders. Keeping customers up to date on our company’s policies, any operational changes, and any new methods we can serve them.

Furthermore, I discovered that the ability to pivot and be adaptable distinguishes the winners from the losers.

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Wayne Winsley

The pandemic caused us to totally pivot from the large assembly-style in school presentations which were our main product and develop something new to serve the in-need students who are our core clients.

We developed and launched Brave Enough To Fail’s BOSS Academy, a twelve session course that equips students with actionable tools and practices that they can use to achieve success in school and beyond.

As a result of quickly adapting to the changing landscape, we are now able to serve more students than ever before and Brave Enough To Fail is now the fastest growing student motivational program in America. 

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Calloway Cook

Illuminate Labs is a supplement manufacturer, so when we officially launched in March of 2020 we planned to grow through wholesale and retail marketing. The goal was to get our product in as many retail stores as possible, starting regionally and expanding domestically and internationally.

The pandemic shut down pretty much all of our retail marketing goals. We couldn’t pitch in stores, we couldn’t attend conferences, and many retail stores were shut down for months on end. This forced us to pivot to content marketing. Towards the end of 2020 we began formulating a content marketing strategy which we launched in July of 2021.

At the time we were achieving around 2,500 organic monthly pageviews to our site. Today we get over 100,000 monthly pageviews to our site, and nearly all of our sales are through our website rather than retail.

We only have our products in one single retail location and the pivot has been so successful that we plan to grow online-only at least for the time being.

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Bishal Biswas

The pandemic caused us to shift our entire business model remotely. Due to the pandemic’s increased uncertainty, we used different tools at our disposal, such as Trello and Slack. Through this technology, our employees could effectively communicate with one another and bridge any communication gaps.

Google Meet replaced the physical meeting at our office during the lockdown. This measure allowed for streamlined communication and didn’t affect our organization’s operations. Unfortunately, we didn’t introduce any new product line as our priority was to improve company culture. Through a flexible work environment, we gave reassurance to our employees that we hadn’t left them to fend for themselves.

Jason Kraemer

Our e-commerce business made a major pivot in our user acquisition strategy to adjust to the pandemic. Our acquisition had been nearly entirely paid ads for the first few years of the business, but when Covid hit we very quickly realized that would not be sustainable.

The cost per click skyrocketed and conversion rates plummeted. We made a major pivot from paid ads to 100% organic traffic acquisition. This was a major shift in the business model and meant creating & implementing a brand new SEO strategy.

Jesse Richardson

We’re a small, family-owned business who were impacted by the pandemic like everyone else, but we didn’t let the past two years get us down. We’ve continued to expand and actually add new products to reach a broader audience. While we’ve always been passionate about CBD tea, we’ve expanded into CBD daily superfoods, essential oils and body products, rosin honey and coconut oils, and more.

Our acclaimed lines of products are sold all over the country and we ship nationwide as well, which further expands our reach. The pandemic has forced us to be even more creative and innovative to stay afloat. Now, we like to think we carry something for everyone.

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Victor Garcia

I opened up my paleteria in Haltom City in October 2016 under the name Helados la Azteca. It was basically an extension of my family’s business in Waco, Texas. Between my father, brother, and several uncles, we own over 12 paleterias in Texas.

It runs in our blood. That being said, while my family has made paletas from scratch for as long as I can remember, we purchased scoop ice cream from Blue Bell or Blue Bunny throughout the years. I believed we needed to change that and incorporate the Mexican flavors of our paletas to the ice cream as well. In 2018, after many failed attempts, I learned how to make homemade ice cream onsite.

I added flavors to the menu like avocado, mamey, tres leches, and even tequila. People loved it, and we continued to tweak the recipes to improve the taste and quality of our ice cream. In Feb. 2019, Helados la Azteca was invited to participate in Big Taste of Fort Worth, a premiere event that raises money each year for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tarrant County.

We won Best Dessert out of over 20 of Fort Worth’s best restaurants and caterers. This validation really boosted our confidence that we could do so much with our brand. In May of 2019, we cleaned up an old building next to us and began renting it out for parties and events.

It quickly grew as our community really needed an affordable spot to throw parties. Later that year, we began building out our online store. I worked several hours each day learning to code and build our website and product line. It started off extremely slow. In the first month of going live, we only made a couple of sales. We continued working to improve the site and over the months it has proven to be a worthy investment.

It accounts for 33% of our revenue today. COVID 2020, the year of COVID, was a wake up call for us all. As an entrepreneur, you expect unforeseeable challenges that force the business to pivot. It’s probably one of the most exciting parts. COVID brought an entirely different level of uncertainty.

You didn’t know when they may shut restaurants down, how long it would all last, or if one of our team members would get infected. Never mind the worries of providing for your family and their health. We invested heavily early in the year expecting to kick off our busy season in March strong. As the pandemic hit and sales dropped to all time lows, we weren’t sure if we’d be able to pay our bills. We took a HUGE gamble by moving locations, rebranding and investing heavily in our e-commerce store. Three big challenges with no guarantee.

Months of hard work and dedication later we saw our efforts bear fruit. We now have a simple, universal name, a better location with a drive-thru, and our customers can reach us in safer, more convenient ways. In early 2021, we permanently closed our event space down (which we opened in 2019 to offer our community an affordable place to throw parties) after many months of poor performance and transformed it into a fulfillment center for our online store.

We believe in our mission, want to bring our delicious treats to more spots in Texas and want to give our team more opportunities so we are looking to open another storefront but have been struggling to convince landlords to give us a shot at leasing their spaces. Nonetheless, we will continue searching. This is simply another obstacle we must overcome in our journey.

Lindsay McCormick

Many leaders were thrown through a loop when Covid hit, especially when their daily management tasks often morphed into being a marketer, a content writer or whatever the day called for. People were working from home for the first time and sometimes, things fell through the cracks.

During this time, leaders either put expansion plans on hold, or found ways to slow down the process, so that it wasn’t depleting funds during extremely uncertain times. Additionally, leaders became mentors – and the idea of an open door policy was embraced more than ever before.

Every successful leader had to have their eyes on their team – anticipating when there was a lack of engagement. You see, with employee retention at an all-time low, there was no time (or often a budget) for hiring and training new team members. However, at Bite, we didn’t allow the pandemic to slow us down.

We still continued with the process of offering new products, and continuing to monitor our current product line. In fast, slowing down a bit during uncertain times actually allowed us the opportunity to reflect, brainstorm like crazy, and get really innovative and creative.

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Liz Hutz

The Covid pandemic has forced so many companies to shut down or file for bankruptcy. Thankfully we were able to survive the scare. We adapted by digitalizing our operations to cut costs and alleviate loss of international competitiveness.

We have made good use of information and communication technologies to enable remote work, supply chain management and an online relationship with our clients. No, we did not introduce any new product lines or services. Our only pivot was to digitalize our operations.

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John DiBella

How Did You Adapt? I didn’t have to. My business has always used a remote working model, and the small staff that I employ all work remotely. The nature of my business meant that it was uniquely placed to cope with the problems the pandemic created and capitalized on the surge in people looking to start their own online businesses. As horrible as it sounds, the pandemic actually helped my business to expand.

Did You Have To Introduce New Product Lines Or Services? We didn’t have to, as the service we offer caters to people setting up their online businesses and we were almost overwhelmed by new clients by the time we entered the second month of lockdown, and we’ve been rushed off our feet ever since.

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Ryan O’Donnell

 “We communicate with our clients as much as possible. It’s our way to be able to pivot during the pandemic successfully. All businesses are competing for attention to retain existing customers and attract new ones, and it isn’t easy to stand out among your competitors.

What worked well for us was continuing to connect with our customers across platforms. Connecting with them allows us to let them know that we understand their challenges, especially during the pandemic, and tell them about the strategies we have that enable us to adapt to the new normal. We also let them know that we are doing safety measures to keep our employees and customers safe during the pandemic.”

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Marina Vaamonde

I make all my decisions through a framework called First Principles, which is a thought process in which you boil a problem down to its most molecular level and always ask yourself the question: “What am I absolutely sure is true?”

Likewise, during the chaos caused by the pandemic and the madness that happened in the real estate market, I did the same thing. I knew that the changes in the market and the tremendous price inflation were caused by certain fundamentals: a lack of housing supply, a labor shortage, people wanting to move to less densely-populated areas (especially because they could work remotely), and supply chain issues that caused the price of materials to skyrocket.

Hence, I addressed these fundamentals, especially the issue of materials and labor shortages. We’re trying to partner with trade schools so that we can hire students who graduate and we’re trying to source materials more locally so that we’re less vulnerable to supply chain problems. All in all, we adapt by sticking to our First Principles and not letting “hot takes” in the media sway our decisions.

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Federico Crespo

It’s more that our clients adapted rather than us. Valiot has always been a company that operates remotely, however manufacturing has typically been more of an in-person industry, and one that, in my experience, likes to cling to older methods. However, with the pandemic we noticed that far more manufacturers were open to change, despite limiting their capital expenditures.

So we started a more aggressive sales campaign and supplied data showing manufacturers just how much money they are losing by sticking to older methods. This garnered a lot of positive results, and we have seen more and more companies open up to the idea of using remote operations, which in turn has led to more clients and greater innovation in the industry as a whole.

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Jon Carder

The health-care system is getting tested in ways never before seen in modern times, so it was beneficial to lean more into a concept that not only gave people more control over their physical and mental wellbeing, but also didn’t further inundate medical and laboratory professionals during a prolonged pandemic.

We created a way to provide greater health access to people by offering an easy, at-home wellness testing application.

Instead of going to a doctor and undergoing complex and time-consuming lab work to discover which toxins are affecting you or what nutrients you’re deficient in, we created a way to make testing easy and affordable for everyday people.

Our business is accelerating because the services we offer are greatly beneficial to those looking to better balance their lives. At-home medical testing is turning into a commonly used practice in the wake of the covid-19 pandemic, so our product is perfectly in line with what the public desires.

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The post 30 Entrepreneurs From USA Share Their Experiences With The Challenges They During The Pandemic first appeared on Tekrati and is written by Jed Morley

One of the richest women in the world devoted decades to preparing for a pandemic.

As the valedictorian of her Dallas high school, Melinda Gates delivered a graduation speech that included a quote attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson. “To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived,” she told her classmates, “this is to have succeeded.”

Decades later and billions of dollars wealthier, Ms. Gates says the quote is still ringing in her ears. “That’s been my definition of success since high school,” she said. “So if I have an extra dollar, or a thousand dollars, or a million dollars, or in my case, which is absurd, a billion dollars to plow back into making the world better for other people, that’s what I’m going to do.”

As the wife of Bill Gates, the Microsoft co-founder, Ms. Gates now has the capital, clout and connections to have an impact however she pleases. She is one of the richest people in the world, a leading voice in global health and an advocate for women’s economic empowerment. As a face of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, she is also a lightning rod for critics who say billionaires have too much sway over public policy, as well as for conspiracy theorists who harbor darker fantasies.

The Gateses have been sounding the alarm about infectious diseases — and the need to fund vaccination efforts — since the late 1990s. That was when, during travels in Africa and India, the extreme poverty they saw prompted them to reflect on how they might use their wealth to make a difference.

“We just kept saying: ‘What’s going on here? Why isn’t the infrastructure here for roads? Why aren’t we seeing more people who are doing well economically? What’s happened?’” Ms. Gates said. “We started to think about what philanthropy’s role might be and realized that the best place to intervene, if you want somebody to live a full and productive life, was to start with health.”

Since then, the Gates Foundation has given away more than $55 billion, much of it directed at efforts to eradicate disease in the developing world. It has helped to all but wipe out polio, and has poured money into programs aimed at ensuring that poor countries have easy access to vaccines.

When the coronavirus pandemic hit, the foundation turned its attention to the vast and complex project of developing vaccines for the new virus, and ensuring that they could be widely distributed. So far, the foundation has contributed nearly $500 million to coronavirus response efforts. Earlier investments by the foundation are paying off as well — one of the drugmakers it previously funded, BioNTech, has developed a successful Covid-19 vaccine with Pfizer.

Ms. Gates is more optimistic today than she was a couple months ago. Vaccines that appear to be safe and effective are beginning to be deployed. Treatments for the virus have improved. And President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. has made beating back the pandemic his top priority.

“The Biden administration will re-enter the global stage and be a participant in making sure the whole world gets vaccines,” Ms. Gates said. She added that the virus team assembled by Mr. Biden was “a very strong, eminent group who are wise and thoughtful and very reasonable.”

Yet Ms. Gates was realistic about the challenges ahead. Vaccine hesitancy is on the rise, disinformation is running rampant on social media, many Americans still refuse to wear masks, and cases are surging again.

“We still have a stretch of very dark months ahead of us,” she said.

This interview was condensed and edited for clarity.

You and Bill have been warning about the risk of pandemics for a long time. How has the last year diverged from your expectations?

Melinda Gates: You can project out and think about what a pandemic might be like or look like, but until you live through it, it’s pretty hard to know what the reality will be like. So I think we predicted quite well that, depending on what the disease was, it could spread very, very, very quickly. The spread did not surprise us.

What did surprise us is we hadn’t really thought through the economic impacts. What happens when you have a pandemic that’s running rampant in populations all over the world? The fact that we would all be home, and working from home if we were lucky enough to do that. That was a piece that I think we hadn’t really prepared for.

What do you think should have been done earlier at the start of the pandemic?

Melinda Gates: We can look at how this disease traveled around the world and see that the countries who locked down first, they’re doing better. Many African countries saw it coming and locked it down early. Their replication rate just never got as high as many other countries. And that is a good thing.

The post Why Melinda Gates Spends Time ‘Letting My Heart Break’ first appeared on Tekrati and is written by admin

The contact tracing app used in England and Wales failed to warn people that they were exposed to COVID-19 patients and should quarantine.

Just because you have a COVID-19 contact tracing app on your phone doesn’t mean you can take the virus lightly. A new report said that the app used in England and Wales failed to do its job. The error caused thousands of people not to enter quarantine when they should have. 

COVID-19 Contact Tracing Apps

The Verge said that the app failed to tell these people to quarantine. Moreover, the Sunday Times said that the app didn’t warn people that they had close contact with COVID-19 patients. 

UK contact tracing app failed to flag people exposed to COVID-19 https://t.co/dpecalslqc pic.twitter.com/n10tnhgwL2

— The Verge (@verge) November 2, 2020

England and Wales launched the app on September 24. Since then, 19 million people have downloaded it. The app also uses Google and Apple’s system, which monitors phones nearby. If you interact with a person who later tests positive for COVID-19, the app will ping you. 

Flaws in the App

The Sunday Times reports that the app flagged only a few users since its launch. Last week, engineers found the flaw. Spending over 15 minutes at closer than 2 meters with a person who tests positive should be enough to flag you. However, they changed the app to include the start of the symptoms. 

Why Was it a Flaw?

Studies show that people are more contagious a day before they start showing symptoms. They also tend to have high levels of virus in their nose and throat on that day. These virus levels stay high for a few days. After that, they drop off. 

If you talked to someone outside of that window, the app said you were safe. So, you could spend about 40 minutes with a sick person outside this window. The app would not alert you.

The post UK Contact Tracing APP Failed to Warn People of Covid-19 Exposure first appeared on Tekrati and is written by Rob Sterling

Hackers have sent out 250,000 emails to users claiming they have their naked Zoom videos and asking $2,000 in exchange.

COVID-19 has created a breeding ground for scammers. New reports show that hackers have launched a new scam against Zoom users. These hackers send emails claiming they have access to people’s naked Zoom videos. If these users want their videos back, they have to pay a ransom. 

COVID-19 Zoom Scams

The app Bitdefender has found these reports online. According to the report, the scam emails begin with a warning. The hacker will tell you that COVID-19 has forced you to use Zoom recently. With that, he’ll warn you that he has terrible news. 

The scammers claim to have made a recording “where you work on yourself.” And they don’t mean they have video of you doing push-ups. https://t.co/e3NhMPdLhA

— Gizmodo (@Gizmodo) October 30, 2020

The bad news is that the hackers have recorded videos “where you work on yourself.” Of course, the hackers don’t mean videos of you working out. After that warning, the hacker will claim that the pandemic left him with no other choice. 

What’s the Scam?

At the end of the email, the hacker will request $2,000 in bitcoin. Then, you should send the money to a cryptocurrency address. However, Gizmodo doesn’t know whether the hackers have received any money. In the Bitdefender report, the scammers have also sent out 250,000 emails to victims in the US. The attacks also began on October 20. 

What Do I Do?

Gizmodo says you shouldn’t worry if you get these emails. Most likely, these hackers do not have any naked videos of you. Hackers had attacked Zoom before. Moreover, people have gotten caught naked on Zoom in the past. However, Gizmodo says these hackers didn’t put much effort into the scam.

If you’re terrified, though, you can just tape over your webcam.

The post New Scam Asks $2000 in Exchange for your Naked Zoom Videos first appeared on Tekrati and is written by Irene Hawkins

Google doesn’t seem to be stopping with new updates anytime soon. To help frustrated travelers during COVID-19, Google is updating Google Travel. The latest update will give the app new tools that inform travelers about the pandemic situation in certain places.  

Google Travel Amid COVID-19

The Verge reports that Google Travel will now give users crucial COVID-19 information to help them plan their trips. Before leaving for your destination, Google Travel will tell you the number of COVID-19 cases there, as well as hotels that allow free cancellations. 

Google Travel adds new pandemic-related travel planning information https://t.co/NQz4HEe2gO pic.twitter.com/gfbotJLJKC

— The Verge (@verge) August 14, 2020

Google Travel’s New COVID-19 Features

Google Travel will also give you “travel trends,” which refer to data about open hotels and available flights to your destination. To collect these travel trends, the app uses your data from past hotel and flight bookings. With travel trends, it will always update you on current trip advisories. These advisories also join updates on local case numbers in the app’s new alerts. 

Worry-free Trips 

The app will alert you on COVID-19 news when you search for flights, hotels, or rentals. Another new option for the app is the option to see whether you can get free refunds from your hotel reservations. You can even set a “free refund” filter on your Travel searches to help you manage your bookings. 

If you urgently need to travel during COVID-19, you will need all the help you can get. Ease your health and travel worries with Travel’s new additions. Check it out here. 

The post Google Travel to Give Covid-19 Updates first appeared on Tekrati and is written by Sam Arnold

As COVID-19 remains a mystery to science, researchers have found that the virus affects each person differently including vaccines. Moreover, the different COVID-19 effects could be related to a person’s vaccine history. 

The Journey to a COVID-19 Vaccine

Experts from the Mayo Clinic suggested that previous vaccines could reduce the risk of getting COVID-19. If you’ve gotten dosed for pneumonia, hepatitis, and others, you lower the risk of getting COVID-19. Dr. Andrew Badley repeated this finding to CNN on Monday.

Dr. Badley is an infectious disease specialist at the Mayo Clinic. Moreover, Dr. Badley says immune training could result in a lower risk. Like a muscle that gets stronger through exercise, the immune system also works better through vaccines.

No evidence exists to confirm this theory. However, some studies have suggested it could be possible.

"When we looked in the setting of COVID disease, we found that people who had prior vaccinations with a variety of vaccines — for pneumococcus, influenza, hepatitis and others — appeared to have a lower risk of getting COVID disease …" Via @CNN https://t.co/LzJRd1GdzP

— Mayo Clinic (@MayoClinic) August 12, 2020

More COVID-19 Global Cases 

This news comes as the virus has infected 20 million people worldwide. Moreover, Johns Hopkins says the global death toll could reach 750,000. 

In the US, Johns Hopkins says that COVID-19 has infected over 5 million people, with a death toll of 164,000. However, the average daily new cases dropped to over 54,000 in August. In July, the country recorded an average of over 65,000.

The average death toll in the US has remained at 1,000 over the past two weeks.  

Keeping Safe from COVID-19

Another study said that COVID-19 would have infected 80% of Americans if states did not order social distancing. While the world waits for a vaccine, people should wear masks and stay away from each other to avoid the virus.

The post Previous Vaccines Could Lower Risk of Catching Covid-19 first appeared on Tekrati and is written by admin

Despite COVID-19 forcing everyone home, Netflix’s stock tumbled more than 10% Thursday. This number comes after projections that the company could draw in just 2.5 million subscribers in the next quarter. However, in the second quarter of 2020, Netflix had reeled in 10 million subscribers. 

Netflix Promotes Ted Sarandos

Aside from this news, Netflix said they were promoting Ted Sarandos to co-CEO, together with Reed Hastings. Sarandos is Netflix’s chief of content. In a statement, Hastings welcomed the news. “Ted has been my partner for decades,” he said. He added that the two of them were already leading the company together informally. This promotion just formalizes the partnership.

Netflix also made news on by announcing that Ted Sarandos, the company's longtime content chief, would become co-CEO alongside Reed Hastings. https://t.co/5DEMAKAFd9

— CNN Business (@CNNBusiness) July 16, 2020

Sarandos will still be the content chief. In a blog post, Sarandos said he promises to keep doing what has made Netflix successful. He plans to “keep pushing the boundaries” for “people who love stories.”

Netflix’s Strong Second Quarter

Netflix had a strong second quarter. The company reported profits of $720 million, a long jump from $271 million in the prior quarter. Altogether, Netflix made a profit of $6.1 billion, a 24% increase. However, the company expects growth to slow down due to COVID-19. Consumers still have to get used to COVID-19 restrictions before subscribing. 

Netflix’s Competitors in the Streaming Market

In addition to COVID-19, Netflix also faces stiff competition. WarnerMedia recently launched HBO Max, another streaming app. Other competitors include Disney+, Apple TV+, Amazon Prime, and Hulu. 

Netflix plans to resume production of its original content safely. They said they would stick to their original plans for 2020. Worrying about competitors is also far from their minds. “We continue to stick to our strategy,” Netflix said Thursday. To stay ahead, they would “improve their service and content” quicker than their rivals. 

Trading Netflix stocks CFDs is possible with a regulated broker like Pepperstone. Here’s a review about this broker: https://www.realforexreviews.com/brokers/pepperstone

The post Netflix Stock Drops, Promotes Ted Sarandos to Co-CEO first appeared on Tekrati and is written by Sam Arnold

Welcome the new face of flipping burgers as White Castle plans to introduce its burger-grilling robot, Flippy. The private burger chain has announced its partnership with Miso Robotics to develop Flippy. White Castle has begun testing of the robot at a Chicago branch last September. Miso Robotics is a tech start-up based in Pasadena, California. 

What Is Flippy the Burger-Grilling Robot?

According to the CNN report, Flippy is an “automated kitchen assistant.” A report on the website Tech Crunch added that the latest version of Miso could start preparing the food as soon as the register accepts the order. Moreover, the tech company assured people that robots are safer in the kitchen. They can use thermal imaging to detect undercooked food. With this, they can prevent food poisoning. Robots could also free up human employees. The fewer people work in the kitchen, the fewer chances of spreading diseases.

White Castle said Flippy could help shorten grilling and frying time. In a statement to CNN, CEO Lisa Ingram said the company is “thrilled to bring the future into our kitchen.”

Will Flippy the Robot Take Human Jobs?

Not all is good news, though. Concerns arise whether robots like Flippy will take over human jobs. White Castle did not clarify if Flippy would do this. They just said that Flippy could free up employees to do other tasks like customer service. Jamie Castle also told Tech Crunch that White Castle does not want to shed workers. They just said Flippy could help the company save money. Castle is the vice president of shareholder relations at White Castle.

With COVID-19 changing the way restaurants operate, Flippy might also be a welcome addition to the workforce. 

See Flippy the Burger-Grilling Robot in Action

Curious to see how a burger-grilling robot works? This video from Tech Crunch might satisfy your curiosity and more.  

The post White Castle Announces Launch of Flippy The Burger-Grilling Robot first appeared on Tekrati and is written by Rob Sterling