Covid 19 And Your Online Business – A Message For My Community

Hi everyone, it’s Jamie Palmer here and today I wanted to kind of talk a little bit about Covid 19 And Your Online Business and kind of some of the things that you can do during this time to continue to grow and serve clients and really just, you know, keep moving forward. So this is not going to be my typical video that I do. I have notes here which you will see me reference throughout and you know, I’m just going to share some things that I feel like are really important for us online entrepreneurs to do during this time. So me just for an update at my house, I’m in Newport, Rhode Island and pretty much everything is shut down except for essential stuff. So bars and restaurants are closed, schools are closed. My children were already off this week for spring break, but it’s a little crazy. 

We’re doing well and we are, you know, we’re enjoying the time. Of course with having two little kids, there’s definitely some fighting going on. But for the most part, you know, we’re working through it and I’m very grateful because my husband is able to um, work from home with what he does. And so we are just, we’re hunkering down. I am changing my working hours a little bit because the kids are home so I can spend more time with them during the day. But for the most part, you know, we’re moving things along as we would have. Um, prior to all of this. And you know, I think it’s really important to just make mention of the fact that I have been in the online space since 2011 and 2012 timeframe and my entire business, I’ve been doing it online. And so for those of you who are greatly impacted by this, you know, if there is a will, there is a way. 

And for most businesses, with the exception of like restaurants, you know, there is a way to figure out how to do it online. And even with restaurants, there’s really fun creative ways in which you can do things that can generate income. Probably not as much income, but you can make money during this time. And so I just want to offer people to reach out to me if you need to brainstorm, if you’re feeling lonely or whatever it is. Like I said, I’ve been operating in the online space for a very long time. Most of my clients I’ve never met, and I work with folks all over the globe and so if you are trying to figure out a way in which to move your business forward in spite of what is going on, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I am very much opening up my calendar and offering brainstorming sessions, all sorts of stuff for folks who just want to keep moving forward in spite of what is going on. 

So given all of that, I really truly believe that every time there’s then a recession or some sort of economic downturn, in most instances entrepreneurs are the ones who lead the way in terms of helping the economy and the people in the community get out of that situation. And so I encourage you to look at this opportunity and this time as a way to really just focus on what is most important. And I’m hoping, and I know it’s very hard to do at times because my own anxiety has very much flared up during this timeframe wondering like, you know, all sorts of stuff. And so I want to encourage you to try and use it as an opportunity to expand versus contract. Now with that said, you know, it’s times like these where I really feel like Austin in the online space need to show up and step up and serve and lead. 

And I cannot tell you how many past clients who I haven’t spoken to in several years have reached out. And so even if you aren’t a client or have never been a client, don’t hesitate to reach out because we are all in this together and I have a particular skillset that is geared towards us doing business virtually. So if there’s anything that you need help or support with, like I said, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I want to help each and every one of you stay in business and even thrive during this time period because here’s the thing, we have to keep the economy going. And so if us online entrepreneurs can continue to make money move and money exchange, that is a really, really, really good thing. And again, I encourage you to also support your local businesses during this time if you can. 

And of course I want to say it, it’s not really business as usual. Like people are scared, they’re afraid, they’re not sure what’s going on with groceries and this and that. Like there’s a lot of unknown. So one of the things I want to encourage you to do it is if you’re an in person business, figure out how you can continue to support people online. I know I’ve spoken to a couple of people locally who are, you know, art galleries or yoga studios or offering tours. Think about how you can bring that online and continue to still serve people and um, think about how you could potentially do like live classes or you know, offer whatever it is. Like just get creative. Okay. Cause there’s lots of ways you can bring things online. With that said, I think it’s really important for each of us business owners if we feel called to to really have a response to what is going on in the world. 

And it’s a crazy time that we live in. I know for me I am very much working to figure out how I can continue to support people during this time. That is not necessarily my typical way to support people. So with that said, I kind of want to divide this conversation into two separate categories. So first I want to talk about things that we can do personally and then I want to talk about things from a business perspective. So personally I think it’s really, really important given what’s going on to make sure you prioritize taking care of yourself, make sure that you are eating healthy, taking vitamins. I know for me, I’ve up my meditation, I’ve up my workouts, I’m drinking lots of water, I’m getting outside with the kids daily. I’m really, really, really limiting my social media and two fold with that. Before I’m going on social media, I’m looking at reliable news sources prior to going on social media so that I don’t feel triggered by what is going on. 

So I’m getting my information for really good sources. The CDC, the world health organization, CNN, I’m looking to my local government pages from a state and town level to see what is going on as well. And so I’m finding out information first before I start scrolling online. And so I would encourage you to do the same because there’s a lot of misinformation out there, you know, going on social media and seeing pictures of empty shelves and lots of negativity and all that sort of stuff. It just contributes to the global fear that is going on right now. So if you could have your information from a reliable source, it can help bring down your anxiety. With that said, I also encourage you to be a positive light and all of this. I know for me one thing that I am trying to do is do these like captain’s log type things from being quarantine in the house and I’m just trying to have fun with it and document and hopefully bring a smile to people’s faces because I’m sure over however long we’re going to be here and with the kids, cause I know for me in Rhode Island they’re making a big school’s announcement today. 

It’s going to be a challenge but you know and it will probably get worse before it gets better. But I’m trying to have fun with it and see the good in all of the stuff that is going on. So that’s what I’m doing from a personal perspective. And of course if you have any resources or you’re offering online classes or anything like that, don’t hesitate to share them in the comments. Like I really want to be able to be a resource to people during this time. And step up and be a leader. I have not historically been one to get involved with a lot of the craziness that goes on in the online space, but I really feel called to support people during this time and step up and lead and just be able to share my expertise because this is something that I’ve done right? 

I’ve taken my business online and continue to operate it not in person and I feel like that’s what a lot of the businesses need support with during this time. So again, don’t hesitate to reach out if you need support with that. So from a business perspective, there are a lot of different things that I want to say on this and I’m probably going to do a separate live or something like that to really talk nitty gritty details about resources and places where you can go to find work and all that sort of stuff. But I think the first and foremost thing, if you already have an online business and you’re needing to make some adjustments to what is going on to continue business, I encourage you to keep it simple. My mantra in business in general is to keep things simple. I think oftentimes we overcomplicate things before we even know if they’re going to work. 

And so, you know, I had a client that I was speaking with yesterday and we were talking about doing a potential masterclass and all this sort of stuff and I’m like, just send them the zoom link. Like don’t worry about the landing page, don’t worry about all the hoopla. Just like get the information to the people. Just give them the link, right? Like don’t make them go through a bunch of steps to do it. And so one of the most important things is like make it a really easy barrier to entry. Keep it simple. Okay. I also want to encourage you to think about new ways in which you can get people into existing stuff that you already have. So I’m going to use the example of my client, Steven Green. He owns a company called make the grade and what he does is he helps parents support their children in being successful academically and he has an online community that he is building now. 

He’s been a tutor for, I dunno, 1520 plus years, probably totally botching the amount of time. However, he’s a phenomenal educator. And I said to him the other day because philosophically for him, nothing has changed. He’s always wanted the parents to help cocreate and be a part of their child’s education. And that is really like his philosophy, his teachings, his values. And so one of the things that I encouraged him to do, since many parents are going to have to start taking a more active role in their child’s education and potentially being a co-teacher in their academic future, since so many of the schools are closed, I encourage him to talk about that from that perspective. And so I want to challenge you to think about what are some new ways in which you can invite people into the conversation for the offers that you’re already doing. 

Okay? And I want you to think about how you can get your offer in front of more people. Now, some of you might be thinking like, well, Jane, how can you even be doing offers during a time like this? And I would contend that we have to continue to do offers at a time like this, especially people who have something that they can contribute to help more people partake in being successful during this time. And so I am advising all of my clients and everyone that I’m working with to either, if you choose to and you want to address the virus situation, okay, address it, talk about it, make that its own standalone thing. Do not tie an offer to the situation that is going on, keep them completely separate things. But I’m encouraging people who still want to do things and move forward to do so. 

Right? And I really think that it’s our job as online entrepreneurs to help keep moving things forward because the world is still spinning. Right? And I know that there’s been a lot of disruption for people, but those of us who can contribute in a meaningful way still should contribute in a meaningful way. Number one, just separate out the two things. So do whatever you want to do from a addressing the coronavirus, make that its own content, its own post its own information and then work on whatever it is that you have going on. The other thing that I want you to think about is is there something that you’ve been putting off that you could potentially offer now, so I’m going to use myself as an example. I’ve wanted to do social media marketing snapshots for quite some time now and essentially a snapshot is it two page action plan for you that gives you a review of all of your social media and marketing efforts and really gives you a bunch of things to implement. 

It’s a two page document, it’s 27 bucks and I wanted to do it for a really long time but now is a great time to do it because more and more people are going to have to start leveraging social media and online marketing to move forward and so that’s a great low cost, low barrier to entry product that I can offer for folks. The other thing is a lot of people, and I’m hearing this a lot, are not necessarily wanting to commit to a year long mastermind at this point in time. And that’s totally cool. I understand. So I have offered up one on one 90 minute coaching sessions like for one time, and I had actually opened this up a few weeks ago, but I think now more than ever, people just want like this quick 90 minute hit of stuff where they can move forward. Right. 

And then lastly, I want you to think about, is there something that you could offer a workshop or a one off course or something that you could offer to support people that’s low barrier to entry, high value that helps people move forward during this time period. And you know, I think it’s really important to think creatively during this time because so many of us might have to make some adjustments to our business. And given that, I think it’s just we need to just stay focused on what we can control and the things that we can do. And of course I feel like it’s really, really important to say, you know, it’s not business as normal. You know, from what I’m seeing on Facebook ads, what I’m seeing on social media, we are not seeing drastic changes in regards to ads. We’re not seeing drastic changes in regards to conversions. 

And so think about who your ideal client is and how impacted they are by this situation. For me, many of my folks already work from home, right? So yes, they might see a slight dip in their income because they’re not getting as many ancillary orders, but for the most part, maybe they’re not affected. So I want you to think about that as you’re kind of doing all this stuff. So it’s really important, like I said, from a perspective of their economy, for us online entrepreneurs to continue to circulate money. And of course it’s not only important from the online perspective, but it’s also really important during this time to support your local small businesses. My heart goes out to all of my friends in the restaurant industry, everybody that I’ve worked with in the restaurant industry and all that sort of stuff because this is has to be an incredibly challenging time for you and I just want you to know I’m there for you. 

If there’s anything that you need, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Like I said, I haven’t been in the online space for a very, very long time so I want you to think about cool and creative ways in which you can really just reach out and reach your customers or potentially do something a little bit different that you might not normally do. Perhaps it’s cooking classes or you know, offering information around like how to make, you know, these 10 Corona virus drinks or whatever. And I’m not making light of the situation by any means. What I am trying to help people understand is that there is a lot of ways in which you can do business and yes, I believe community is incredibly important, but we need to take our communities and bring them virtual for the time being to keep everyone safe. And to keep everyone healthy. 

And so that is something that you want support with or you need help or you need help brainstorming and you just want somebody to vent to because you’re tired of being alone. Please, please, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I am so here to support each and every one of you during this super challenging time, and so whatever you need, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me because I really am doing my best to step up and lead during this time. So thank you so much. I very much appreciate each and every one of you, and if you have any questions, concerns, comments, needs support, again, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Thank you so much for tuning in and I hope you are all having a fantastic day.