If 2020 has taught us anything it’s that adapting to suit situations is important. As we start to close the door on the year, it’s the perfect time to look at how you can adapt your business this season, from simply adjusting your workspace to becoming more customer-focused. Here, we’re going to reveal three tips for growing and adapting.

Take advantage of the digital world

When we say take advantage, we really mean it. Grab it by two hands and don’t let go, and here’s why. Online is convenient. It means people can buy things without leaving their sofas and will have their items delivered to their door, sometimes the very next day – that’s the first reason.

The second is advertising and marketing. You have a whole world of opportunity when it comes to advertising and marketing online – not to mention, free opportunity thanks to social media. You should ensure your website is up to date (and if you don’t have a website, you should set one up) and as good practice, keep any social media channels regularly updated.

Plan for the future

It’s always good to have a plan in place for the future, as the saying goes: Fail to plan, plan to fail. You could have a plan in place just in case the events of 2020 recur and make a list of what steps to take, such as:

• Remote working: Give your employees laptops instead of a desktop computer so the business can continue without too much disruption.
• How do you want the business to grow? If you want to branch out into different countries, you will need to see how that market is doing.
• How you want to advertise: If online shopping is still hugely popular, will it be best to use online advertising or real adverts such as billboards.

Of course, unless you have a crystal ball which tells the future, you can’t make a plan set in stone. Your plan should be able to adapt with you and be flexible to grow and change as your business does.

Ride the wave

Riding the wave is really important. What this means is that you utilise a specific trend or event to your business’ advantage. Take Dettol as an example. The brand has been a household name for many years specialising in disinfectant and their adverts have always been focused on maintaining a clean home. When Covid-19 hit, the brand switched to predominantly advertising their hand sanitiser – something which was sold out everywhere at one point during 2020. But they saw an opportunity to promote a very popular product and rode that wave to the top.

Pay close attention to ‘waves’ as they can come in many forms. One trend that is growing currently is sustainability. As more customers look at using greener business, this might be an opportunity for you to adapt and look at ways you can become more sustainable. This doesn’t have to see you invest thousands of pounds into solar panels, but could be something as simple as recycling your printer cartridges correctly, as TonerGiant recommends.

There are some simple ways you can adapt, and even the smallest of changes can make a big difference. As Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, said: “What’s dangerous is not to evolve.”