When the rain stops, the sun comes up. It won’t be different this time. And though we don’t know when this particular rain would stop beating down hard on humanity, we sure do know that the sun will rise soon with so much change in its wake.
Those who anticipate and prepare for this will have a time of their lives while those who don’t will be scorched. This article provides you with some things to anticipate and prepare for in the new world that has been “Virally” activated for us.
Remote working is the new reality, Even for the employed
Remote working systems seemed too far from our reality till it became our only reality.
99% of the companies and individuals that made money this period are those that were able to get and implement adequate remote working systems to keep them open for business and to serve their clients.
When this period is over, a lot of businesses will adopt this as a profitable and reliable business operation method.
In my book, Money Sense: how to organize your financial life in the 21st century and make money, I made it clear that in the 21st century, size will no longer be measured by number of staff, size of buildings or number of branches opened, it will be measured by performance efficiency driven by the internet and revenue strength. This reality has come quicker than I thought.
The new big guys will be those with the most efficient remote working systems and the most efficient staff won’t be those who come in early and go home late, but those that will be disciplined enough to focus and deliver on projects anywhere there is an internet connection.
Are you ready?
Telemarketing and mail-order marketing might just be coming back stronger
Great salesmen might not be those who can come early to your office or quick to send you the well-enveloped proposals. You might not just be meeting the decision makers at the office that often anymore and of course, their homes are “no go areas”.
So how will marketing be done? Telephone and mail order.
You might just need to reduce the number of your business suits and get a hang on making phone mail presentations instead.
The language of the world will change.
The post-COVID reality is that anyone who fails to understand the language of technology and economics (language of money) will be greatly disadvantaged.
The individuals and businesses that will blaze the trail are the ones that see this as the new reality and understand that everything will be controlled by economics and technology more than ever before. New leaders will be technologists as opposed to technocrats.
Are you ready?
Nomadic entrepreneurship will increase
There will be a mad rise in laptop entrepreneurs due to both job loss and interest to solve new problems.
More than just thinking up your new idea now, you will also have to think of how to make it portable enough to travel with you and deliver service from any location. Globalization has given way to boarderlessness.
This on its own will require a whole new discipline, effort and mindset as many people still don’t get the fact that your multimillion-dollar office can be your laptop which you can set up anywhere in the world in a matter of minutes.
Are you ready?
Leveraged accommodation
Airbnb came and toppled the way people live. You can now travel to any part of the world and spend just a fraction of your usual accommodation budget due to the change they brought to the hospitality space.
There is going to be a massive increase in this as more people will be expected to work and run their businesses from different locations.
This provides anyone will a spare room an opportunity to earn. It would also encourage more travels as the problem of accommodation would have been sorted.
This also means that you have to be ready if you play in the hospitality industry to take advantage of the change and not to be swallowed by it.
Are you ready?
Full digitization
After now, your business will no longer be what you do and run with technology, your business is going to be technology no matter what you do.
A restaurant will be a technology company serving food.
A salon will be a technology company making hair.
A transport company will be a technology company moving people.
A publishing company will be a technology business writing books.
A law firm will be a technology company that provides legal solutions.
I am sure you get the drift now…
You have to run a fully digitalized business, one that leverages on tech or you have no business. You won’t get a play opportunity ever again if your business ignores the relevant technology in your space.
This will also mean that being techy should now become a way of life. Those who are not techy will be as societally irrelevant as a common palm wine tapper with no education
You can’t just afford to spend money to buy phones, laptops and load them up just to use them and watch Netflix and browse social media anymore. Using gadgets and the internet as a way to promote speed, efficiency and a means to get ahead will become most apparent than ever before.
Are you ready?
Massive market for relevant skills upgrade
Code Academies, Online schools, homeschooling, VR studios, AR Games, digital courses, events and programs will be on the increase for both those who provide them and those whose use them.
Survival in the workplace will also depend on them as well.
Are you ready?
Home management skills acquisition
Since a lot of people will be working from home after now and you can’t be productive from a disorganized home, it will only make common sense that people will need to learn how to run their homes better too.
The era of running out early and coming back late as an excuse for not knowing how to do common things around the home, is getting massively reviewed for the better.
I also think that this will affect how and when people marry because if you know that you will be spending a considerable amount of time working from home, you will be more inclined to marry someone whose company you love that much.
It will also mean that you will have the number of kids that you can manage especially if you will have to home-school them or spend a lot of time with them at home.
Are you ready?
Life-work balance instead of work-life balance.
We have spent the last century talking about work-life balance, now the focus will shift to life-work balance.
This is because when people start working from home, the battle won’t be about having some time for yourself and your family anymore, but about being disciplined enough to be productive from home or anywhere that you might find yourself.
Are you ready?
Final point…
The change is not about to come because it has come already. The day China went back to full operational capacity was the day the post-covid experience and reality kicked in. The rest of the world is just trying to play catchup.
What we all need to avoid the dangers while reaping the opportunities of the new age is Optimistic Realism. I coined that idea and it explains pragmatic ways to expect the best and be prepared for the next (change).
This article just gave us some points to be aware of. The Post-Covid reality will hit many by surprise, but not you… if you have taken the time to read it.
To your #moneysense
