Small business success this year is all over the map. So far, Brigade is doing well. But in the interest of transparency, I want you to know: We’ve had to face challenges, and there are worries that still keep me up at night. But I’m also here to say, this is completely normal. Here’s some of what we’ve been doing to press forward through 2020.
Keeping a Strong Company Culture
I’m very proud of our company culture. I think it’s freakin’ awesome. It also took a lot of purposeful planning and leadership to get it where I wanted it to be. Then came the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the biggest fears our management team had was that by being fully remote, we’d lose our culture and the connectivity. Boy, were we wrong!
Going remote brought our company’s core values to life and helped us realize that we need to revisit them, again, during Brigade’s new pivot. It actually feels like our team’s connectivity is magnified now with Zoom. We’re seeing each other much more often and boosting productivity by at least five times!
Creating a New Vision
Our new challenge is reinventing Brigade and creating a new, even better vision and culture to go with it. We WILL NOT go back to our old ways, as the new Brigade era is much more relevant to the times. We are making sure our team can more easily work from home. Management has daily meetings starting as early as 7 am, so some of us end our day at 3 pm. In the pre-COVID days, this seemed impossible.
We also just purchased a batch of new laptops so our team can work seamlessly from home with Zoom and our server simultaneously. We provided LED lights, so our team will show up better on their Zoom meetings. That’s not a vanity thing! (LOL) It helps the remote experience feel more comfortable.
We Aren’t Going Back to a Traditional Office
Someone once asked me, “Do you think you’ll return to a traditional office?” and I can tell you, absolutely not! With the productivity and tech-savvy boost that Brigade has seen across the board, it would be a bad decision to back to our dinosaur ways. Right now, EVERYONE wants to stay in a remote capacity.
A few years ago, due to my love of traveling, I wanted to figure out a way to work remotely and provide my team with the same option. I made it one of Brigade’s BHAG‘s (Big Hairy Audacious Goals). I’ve attained that BHAG. Now, onto the next, which is reinventing Brigade the way that best fits our needs now!
We Don’t Go It Completely Alone
In this time where no one has experience navigating this kind of business crisis, it’s good to absorb the wisdom of as many respected resources as possible. I feel so lucky that I am part of the Entrepreneur Organization of South Florida (EO)! EO is the one resource I lean on for up-to-the-minute assistance and financial resource information. I also receive daily emails from my banker, SBA, IRS, Entrepreneur.com, Accounting Today, AICPA, and FICPA. I make a point to read each one as I receive them.
It can be tough when you’re focused on day-to-day adjustments to also work on the big picture. I hope our journey inspires you to take that kind of time for your business as well. If we can provide financial guidance on those goals, feel free to set up a time to chat. Let’s talk soon!
