by Tapiwa Matsinde
The pandemic has forced us to rethink the business plans we set out for the year ahead. While we cannot control what is happening we can control how we choose to react and for designers and creatives that includes adapting the way we work. Conversations with designers in my network have revealed the ways in which they are pivoting and I share theirs and my suggestions with you.
1. Review Your Finances
The pandemic has put livelihoods in jeopardy. Take stock of your finances to spread out your cash, and reduce or get rid of unnecessary expenses to shore up your long-term financial position for when the storm passes. If the slowdown is putting your business, and workers jobs at risk find out if any of your government, public or private institutions are offering funding, grants, other forms of support or advice to help you.
2. Diversify Your Offerings
With social-distancing measures likely to be in place for several months shift your focus towards promoting or creating products that can be produced, packaged, and shipped with ease. Observe your market to see if people are searching for specific things that you could offer now and in the future.
3. Focus on what you’ve been neglecting
With many designers having to reduce or cease production use this time to work on those areas of your business you may have neglected because of a lack of time. Admin, management, and logistics take up the time you would rather spend being creative. You could use the freed up time to develop new ideas, improve your branding, or if most of your energy to date has been spent on physical person-to-person sales then strengthening your website and online presence is going to be a priority to boost your visibility.
4. Invest in your self-development
With unexpected time on your hands invest it in learning a new skill or brush up on an existing one. Take up that course you’ve been meaning to do but haven’t been able to find the time. From free to paid there are many online options to choose from.
5. Teach What You Know
If you have had to cease production or are unable to sell your products look to packaging your knowledge into a product that can benefit your audience. As long as you can safely record your content you can turn your expertise into in-depth courses, workbooks, kits and downloads to sell through platforms such as Teachable, Thinkific, and Podia to name a few. Teaching is a great way of giving back and your audience may appreciate the chance to receive complimentary instructionals through your website, Youtube, or social media channels. Turning your knowledge into a course opens up an additional income stream that you can keep for your business once the crisis is over.
6. Stay connected To your customers and audience
Keep in touch with your community to remind them that you exist. Reach out to see how they are and how you can be of service to them and not just for business reasons. Staying connected could mean sending messages that simply say ‘hi, how are you doing?’. Being forced apart has seen us crave connection to remind ourselves that we are not alone in this and it is heartwarming to know that someone is thinking of us.
7. Document this experience
Journaling will help you make sense of all the thoughts and feelings swirling around in your mind. At the end of each day or week make a note of how you are feeling, the changes you are making, and what’s working and what’s not. Not only is this cathartic, but when life returns to some sense of normalcy you can use your notes to update or create an emergency business response plan to help you prepare for future unexpected events that hopefully will be nowhere near the scale of the current one.
8. Do what brings you joy
In times of uncertainty stress and anxiety levels increase. Make looking after your health and well-being a priority. I encourage you to let your creativity flow and do more of what brings you joy and what you can do safely to soothe your soul and take your mind off all the turmoil.
However, you choose to utilise this time and adapt your business never forget that as a designer and a business owner you have had to build up resilience to overcome challenges you’ve had to face. Now more than ever it’s time to tap into that superpower.
May you and your loved ones stay safe and well.
Tapiwa
Tapiwa Matsinde is the founder of atelier 55 an acclaimed platform that shines the spotlight on Africa’s designers and creatives by sharing and selling their work. Through her consultancy Tapiwa curates for and advises organisations, galleries, and museums interested in African design, connecting them to designers for global opportunities that increase their visibility. Through the atelier 55 Academy Tapiwa helps startup and established creative entrepreneurs develop and grow international standard brands that command attention. Tapiwa is the author of several books including Contemporary Design Africa the first art book to showcase and survey a generation of innovative designers from across the continent and beyond who are putting the diverse expressions of African design on the world’s stage. Tapiwa’s podcast Behind The Design introduces an inspirational series of conversations with some of Africa’s exciting designers.
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