Welcome to a new semi-post COVID world

Its been a difficult two years. The Risk Assessors never dreamt this one up.

COVID caught everyone by surprise and through our Business Plans into disarray.

Businesses, all businesses, depend on a certain amount of certainty.

But we are now into a long period of uncertainty, some people will make it work some won’t.  It takes a particular type of person to turn adversity to an advantage.

This takes me back to my very early years after World War II and Australia was accepting migrants and refugees from all parts of war torn Europe. 

These people were arriving in Australia with absolutely no knowledge of what their future would hold.  They understood and accepted uncertainty and turned Australia into the successful economy that it is today.  Mostly by sheer hard work and resourcefulness.

They were optimistic and from fruit shops to fish and chip shops to the Transfields and Westfields and Visys of the world they showed us all how it could be done.

Of course they weren’t constrained by bureaucratic governments at every level that these days doing everything they to destroy them.

The world we are now in is much different to those days and while we can draw some lessons from those experiences we have to understand that there will be a few more grenades thrown at us at least in the not too distant future.

The health bureaucrats have been having a field day with the entire population.  While for many not knowing how they will pay the rent, keep key staff, and keeping loyal customers, the bureaucrats having nothing like that to worry about.  They get their guarantee salaries every week regardless.

And the politicians are hiding behind them!

So it is that come October 11 we will come out of lockdown – sort of – and any government support that may have kept us from sinking will be gone.

Sure, we will be on tenterhooks until December when 80% of the population should be fully vaccinated, but at least the doors will be open again.

While some sectors have been doing okay through this period some, like travel and hospitality have been going through purgatory.

These two sectors are major drivers of the economy but assuming that the petulant Labor premiers  in Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia can be pulled into line our country will be as one once again.

So, getting back to Business Plans once again, what will yours’ be?

It appears that while there will be uncertainties through to December it should be full steam ahead in 2022.  After all, even the bureaucrats and politicians can’t stop people from seeing their loved ones, going shopping and going on holidays.

There will be plenty of new issues to get through, not the least of which will be attracting back all the good staff that you have been forced to put off.  You will also need to get your regular customers back and they are just as important as your staff.

One big reason to be optimistic is that while your customers have been stuck at home watching TV and home schooling the kids, their bank balances have been swelling up and according to all reports are bulging.

All you have to do now is work out how to get that money from their bank into yours!

Unfortunately, there will be a number of businesses who will not return.  That is the sad bit because some of these people have been good operators , circumstances have driven them out.

What that means is that in some sectors there will be less competition. Increasing your profit margins while still being competitive will be the name of the game.

Edgar Adams

Editor