If there’s anything the pandemic taught me about running my business it's.....

[isabelle]

Hey all! ✨Hope everyone is having a fantastic week thus far. 

Today we're wondering..

If there’s anything the pandemic taught me about running my business and what’s needed to evolve in this new world, it’s ________. 

Fill in the blank! What did the pandemic teach you about running your business? What was needed for you to evolve to this 'new world'? 

We look forward to reaching your replies! 💫

[lamarhinson]

If there’s anything the pandemic taught me about running my business and what’s needed to evolve in this new world, it’s __dont be affraid to cross the line______.

[alexandriak]

If there’s anything the pandemic taught me about running my business and what’s needed to evolve in this new world, it’s always be open to helping your customers in new ways.

[lindsaybee]

Hi @alexandriak, your response drew my curiosity. I'm Lindsay; I lead our Beta Team at Square, and we're always looking to connect with our customers to hear their stories. 

Now, we're trying to keep on top of how business needs have changed in the past 1.5 years to make sure our products are keeping up. 

How did you shift your business to help customers in new ways? Do you mind sharing some details?

[MJD]

If there’s anything the pandemic taught me about running my business and what’s needed to evolve in this new world, it’s I needed to start a photography business and share my work with the world!

[BofBArtStudio]

If there’s anything the pandemic taught me about running my business and what’s needed to evolve in this new world, it’s where there's a will, there's a way.  Try new things, invent new offerings, really listen to and care about your customers.  Change is inevitable, so be flexible.

[lindsaybee]

Hi @BofBArtStudio, thanks for your reply. Inventing and learning is one of our guiding principles at Square too 😉 

What new things did you try in the past year? I'm curious about how business has been changing across the country and how Square needs to adapt to keep up! 

[homeprogreen]

If the pandemic taught me anything about my business it’s how fragile the supply lines are, shipping times doubled and tripled. Also the need to stay flexible to quickly respond to changing situations on basically a moment’s notice

[lindsaybee]

Hi @homeprogreen, I'm Lindsay and I lead our Beta Team here at Square 👋 Nice to meet you and thanks for your reply.

A lot of businesses where I lived in California closed down during the pandemic and have still refused to open up because they don't want the constant disruption. Luckily my favorites have been able to pivot online and bought themselves some time to evaluate the ever-changing situation out there.. Have you been able to reopen or stay open?

[homeprogreen]

I am fortunately located in a small town and have managed to remain open the entire time with just minor adjustments to how I operate. Probably wouldn’t have been able to in a larger city but it helps to be known and I have lived here for over 35 years so our local enforcement trusts me to take all necessary precautions as required 

[WildsideNails]

If there’s anything the pandemic taught me about running my business and what’s needed to evolve in this new world, it’s to stay open minded and always adapt and remain creative!

[dieterslicke]

If there’s anything the pandemic taught me about running my business and what’s needed to evolve in this new world, it’s going out in a limb and trying something for the times.

We opened our barber shop in June 2020 at the height of the pandemic. Thankfully Australia was on its road to opening back up by then following the first lockdown so we had already learned a lot. 

Our 9 sqm shop is part of a small private community of freelancers where we each have a private suite. We have 1 chair so it was really fitting to make people feel safe by not sharing a big space with lots of people in the pandemic. The private nature of it has also allowed us to offer additional services to men like facials and waxing that they wouldn’t normally feel comfortable doing with others watching in a classic barbershop. It’s been an amazing experience and thanks to Square, our bookings and POS makes life so much easier. We can just focus on providing an amazing experience and continue to refine and improve what we do knowing that we’ve got a great kit taking care of our payments and a community in reach if we need some help.

[isabelle]

LOVE this share 💇‍♀️ 

Happy Square could make things easier with bookings as you adapt 💕Really cool that the pandemic inspired you to offer additional services. Thanks for sharing! 

[lindsaybee]

I agree with @isabelle - thanks so much for sharing!

Are we keeping up with the product needs you have in this new environment @dieterslicke ? 

I manage the Beta Team at Square and we are always on the lookout for our customers' needs, especially in this new world we're in.

[TheRealChipA]

I should never think the phrase “because that’s they way it’s always been done,” or “that’s the industry standard,” or anything like those.

I’m in hospitality.  Hospitality is a mess and it will be for the foreseeable future.  Sure, COVID was the catalyst, the tipping point, if you will.  But the issues, the problems, the mess that we now face as an industry were not caused by the pandemic.  Rather the pandemic shown a big, bright, flashing spotlight on a mess that we had created and that we are now responsible for.  This is especially true of the employment issue so many of us face now.  By and large, restaurant and bar owners are an insane, hard to work for group.  As a group, we’ve not been the best employers we could have been, and we are paying for it now.  Contrary to the popular talking points, our employment issues are not so much about people not wanting to work, or extra unemployment.  They are more about our systemic problem of being an industry that hasn’t always been employee sensitive, that has used and abused the people we should have treated and protected better than we did.

That’s one example of what I mean I’ve learned.  I learned I need to be better than I’ve been.

[lindsaybee]

Wow, thank you for this reply. If anything, the pandemic has given us all the opportunity to reflect on what's most important. What changes do you think you might make, as a result? If you feel like sharing 🙂 

[Doran]

If there’s anything the pandemic taught me about running my business and what’s needed to evolve in this new world, it’s to be prepared for daily changes to everything.  

I feel like my business grew in so many ways this past year and a half just by rolling with the changes.

[lindsaybee]

Hi Doran, thanks for your reply 🙂 What in particular did you change that worked best for you?

[JessPoynter]

Pivot and adapt. 

I moved states and started a whole new venture in 2020. We've all known or have heard what it means to be a "good" business owner. This past year hammered it home that you CANNOT thrive with the mentality of "oh that's the way it's always been done" just like @TheRealChipA mentioned. I as a hairstylist cannot have a successful business if I'm "doing it the way it's always been done." There are always new things to learn in even the darkest of times, you just need to know where to look (yes, a subtle HP reference). 

Clients also want to feel attended to, heard, and REALLY nurtured. 

This is and will continue to be a watershed micro-era. Yes, the problems have always been there, but now we KNOW them because a pandemic instantly pointed them out to us.  It's up to us to adapt to those new business needs. 

[lindsaybee]

Thank you @JessPoynter , this really resonates. 

Please take us with you as you take your business forward. Is there anything you feel like Square needs to change in order to adapt along with you?

[JessPoynter]

Oh I'd be happy to @lindsaybee ! 

I think Square has done a great job with adapting. We all had to change things overnight and we're still feeling the effects of that I feel. Here are some things I would love to see Square make possible

1. Cancellation lists
2. Really honing in on Appointments settings (client specific bookings, packaged service offerings, categorized services, etc.)
3. Pie chart reporting options for retail

These are just a few. All in all, though, I am SUPER happy with Square.