This whole COVID-19 thing is a huge pain in the ass, isn’t it? 

It’s fortunate for businesses in this day and age to have so many work-from-home options available. Many businesses don’t have to come to a grinding halt, but there are still a lot of business owners and managers who suddenly have a lot less to do until this crisis passes.

Take a few easy days if you’d like. You’ve earned it. 

Once you’ve binged the latest Netflix offerings, however, you’re going to want to get back to work—even if it’s not your routine work. This downtime does provide you with extra time to take care of some things that will enhance your business and get you back in the game as quickly as possible once everyone is given the all-clear.

Here are some things you should be doing right now.

Study and streamline your finances

This may seem kind of boring, but even the best businesses can still do with a little extra attention paid to organizing their finances. Is your invoicing system as good as it could be? Does it track with your inventory? Are there areas of waste in your budget or areas that could do with a little more budget love?

Even though many countries are pushing back their tax deadlines, it’s still a good idea to make sure you’re ready for tax time’s eventual arrival. While things are quiet, make sure you have all of your documentation in order. As far as I know, no governments are saying you can’t pay early. At least that task will be out of the way, letting you move on to more fun or interesting things to do during the slowdown.

Set up or revive your social media presence

If your business has been neglecting its social media or never bothered to get on board with one, this would be a good time to fix that. Find your login information and post an update reminding people that you’re still around and riding out the crisis with them. Don’t overdo it. One should be enough. Follow it up with some photos, fun polls, or maybe a bit of trivia. Keep it light for now. 

If your business is in a position to provide a service or product, it’s okay to let people know. Better even if you’ve managed some kind of deal or sale to save people money, or have a special way to bring your product or service to them rather than them having to come to you.

If you don’t have a social media presence yet, this is a good time to get one. Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and the like are all simple to sign up for. You can find numerous tips and tricks online for how to make the most of these accounts and build readership.

Update your website

While we’re talking online when was the last time your website has been updated? It’s surprising how many businesses put up a website and then let it sit fallow for years. Take this time to update all contact information, hours, and locations. Check for broken links or add new ones—including links to your social media accounts. 

Have you added or removed significant products or services? This would also be a good time to bring all of that up to date. You could even replace images with more current ones that reflect how your business has grown or changed over the years.

You could even go a bit further and consider an entire redesign or face-lift. If you don’t have the technical know-how to handle that yourself, I can guarantee you that there is a wealth of professional web designers sitting on their hands just waiting for an opportunity to get involved. 

Maybe start a blog or newsletter. Both can be powerful marketing tools. Again, if you don’t feel you’d be up to the writing end of things, there are plenty of freelance writers with ability and experience ready to help out at a reasonable price. (One of those writers may be right in front of your eyes right now, heh.)

Pro tip: At the bottom of your website, make sure to post when the last update was made. Do this each time you update your page. Many customers actually look for this information when determining if your business is providing current information and deciding to choose your business over someone else’s.

Look into special business loans and grants

Many governments have put together stimulus packages that include special loans or grants for businesses during this time of economic uncertainty. Don’t wait until it’s too late. Go online and see what’s out there for you, how you can apply, and what you can use the funds for. Your local bank may also be able to help or point you in the right direction, so give them a call.

Additional ideas

• Give the office a top-to-bottom cleaning. Rent a carpet cleaner, reorganize and dust the shelves and files, scrub the office fridge. When things get back to normal, you’ll have a fresh, clean office for everyone to enjoy.
• Upgrade your IT. What equipment has needed replacing for a while? What software is out of date and causing problems? If finances are too tight to handle a lot of this at once, at least make a plan for the coming year when revenue is flowing more reliably.
• Is it time to freshen your brand identity? Maybe a new logo or color scheme? Many printers are considered essential businesses and are still open. Many have onsite designers who can help you, or put you in contact with talented freelancer designers or marketing specialists who can assist in giving your business a new, modern look you can unveil when things get back to normal.
• Take an online class. The choice is yours. You could take some management or industry-related courses online, or you could study Japanese woodcarvings. Take a class in whatever interests you, there’s a lot out there to choose from.
• Write a book. Seriously. If you have special industry knowledge or have something else you think would be of value to share, consider writing a book. If that seems too daunting, then outline one and partner up with someone to help you flesh it all out. 

And if you’re really bored…

• Grab some alcohol wipes or glass cleaner and really give those keyboards and monitors a good cleaning. 

Now is the time

No one wants business to be slow, but if it’s going to be slow, then take advantage of the extra time on your hands. Of course, always be safe when deciding what or how to do any of this. That said, if you can take some time now to plan for the future, you’ll be in a better position to hit the ground running, impress your customers, and get revenue restored before you’ve had a chance to miss it.