We are all in this together, so the ideal way is to stay transparent with your consumers about what your business is going through. Customers can empathize with companies facing a crisis, as long as the communication is transparent.
Hit by the Covid-19 slump followed by social distancing and a nationwide lockdown, businesses are experiencing major impacts no matter how established they are and are having to re-look at how they manage and operate their business including re-visitation of their business plan.
It has become challenging for most businesses to keep their financial wheels turning during the lockdown period due to less revenue churn and the general uncertainty in the global financial environment.
Unfortunately, the impact on startups or small businesses can be way more brutal as they have scarcer cash reserves and a smaller margin for managing sudden slumps. The ripple effect of this shutdown will have a key impact on India’s economy, as all business sectors get affected resulting in low revenue generation due to an eventual halt/slump on the sale of products and/or services. It is expected that India’s growth rate in FY20-21 will be down to 2% from a range of 4.7%-5.2% as was predicted earlier by the rating agency ICRA.
So, during such testing times, startup entrepreneurs will have to adapt to a new set of rules and be mindful of the following aspects to alleviate risks and to survive the slowdown caused by the impact of COVID19.
Tracking expenses against the revenue status
During this contagion, it is of utmost importance for businesses to conduct a proper assessment of their fixed and variable expenses as well as the actual revenues. This assessment will give a clear picture of where a company stands financially and help the entrepreneurs in planning ahead in the current disconcerted market. This strategy can be implemented even when the pandemic effect settles.
Checking the feasibility of the business model
Considering the market is changing every week (and for the worse), it is imperative to reconsider the business model and reassess where your business stands as per your assumptions concerning the revenue and cost. This is also a crucial time to track current financial metrics and cash flow. Be mindful of what your runway is. Businesses need to evaluate the impact on new sales, collections, credit cycles and potential bad debts.