What do you do when your business is deemed nonessential?
Like many other businesses, contractors are being kept at arm’s length by Government crackdowns and the phenomenon of social distancing. Many roofers, remodelers, painters, flooring experts (and countless others) have been deemed nonessential businesses during this virus-induced recession. This means millions of people are temporarily out of work. Despite this, many business owners and employees are adapting to the coronavirus pandemic in unique and innovative ways. Here are a few interesting ways contractors are adapting to the coronavirus.
“We just try to stay as positive and optimistic as we can by remaining grateful. We still have an opportunity to help the community by offering our services to those in need.” stated Austin Doherty, owner of Palm Beach Premier Remodeling, when asked what he was doing to keep his team’s spirits high.
While we can’t control how and when the coronavirus spreads, we certainly can control our attitudes towards it – and how we communicate about the global crisis with others. Austin continues: “the worst thing is to be very pessimistic about the situation. Eventually, the virus will die down and the people that continue to stay strong are going to find a way through this.”
This situation is incredibly tough, there’s no arguing that. But being pessimistic about it is something that is largely up to you. It takes a huge amount of mental energy to worry, which is harmful, because that could take away from the creative energy that can be used to find a solution or workaround to this dilemma.
A spokesperson from Tornado Roofing had this to say:
“Honestly, we’re just keeping our hopes up and staying positive, especially since we’ve held on to almost all of the contracts we already had. Sure, we’ve had to push a lot of the dates back due to the work restrictions, but we’re taking this time to re-train all of our employees. And to be honest, we’ve been cleaning like crazy! I must’ve sanitized every square inch of the warehouse.”
It’s no secret: businesses around the world have been finding ways to adapt. Video conferencing, intensive cleaning, drone deliveries, virtual training, and no-contact kiosks have just been a few of the innovations. Austin’s team, like many crews, businesses, and offices throughout the United States, have been scheduling daily morning Zoom meetings to keep the human connection strong.
Adapting to an Unprecedented Challenge
Many contractors and business owners are refusing to let the pandemic slow their business down. For example, Alex Logerfo of Southside Concrete Polishing is taking this time to train his employees on new products and services. He’s also been establishing new relationships with fellow contractors to put his company in a great position when the shutdown is lifted:
“So, we’re reaching out to a lot of contractors that we haven’t worked with before. We’re establishing new connections and relationships during this time. Since construction is in the gray area of the non-essential/essential business categorization, we want to be as productive as possible with this situation. Southside is taking this time to let more people know about the services we provide.
We’re not allowed to work in a commercial capacity (as of April 7, 2020), but we still do daily conference calls to make sure the team is updated on our virtual trainings for new products, chemicals, and sealants. We’re staying positive and putting ourselves in a very strong position for when this thing finally ends.”
Preparing For Future Success
As contractors, the first point of contact is almost always a face-to-face estimate with a client. Due to social distancing, Austin has adapted: “we’ve been doing virtual estimates through FaceTime and Zoom, and that has given us a solid line of communication.”
While businesses like Palm Beach Premier, Southside Concrete, Tornado Roofing, and Best Boca Raton Pressure Washing are closed due to stay-at-home orders, scheduled regular phone calls, video conferences, and virtual employee trainings are just a few of the strategies that contractors are utilizing to keep their employees optimistic and ready to go..
Another business owner, George Kocher of Best Boca Raton Pressure Washing, had this to say when asked what he was doing to adapt:
“We’ve been offering new services such as roof cleaning to our clients. We never have to enter the house to perform our work. We’ve also been offering free car sanitizing services and general sanitizing services during this time to do our part to maintain a healthy community.”
From digital estimates and new services, to new relationships and rain-checks, this pandemic has a lot of business owners and contractors thinking outside of the box.
Preparing For Future Success
As contractors, the first point of contact is almost always a face-to-face estimate with a client. Due to social distancing, Austin has adapted: “we’ve been doing virtual estimates through FaceTime and Zoom, and that has given us a solid line of communication.”
While businesses like Palm Beach Premier, Southside Concrete, Tornado Roofing, and Best Boca Raton Pressure Washing are closed due to stay-at-home orders, scheduled regular phone calls, video conferences, and virtual employee trainings are just a few of the strategies that contractors are utilizing to keep their employees optimistic and ready to go..
Another business owner, George Kocher of Best Boca Raton Pressure Washing, had this to say when asked what he was doing to adapt:
“We’ve been offering new services such as roof cleaning to our clients. We never have to enter the house to perform our work. We’ve also been offering free car sanitizing services and general sanitizing services during this time to do our part to maintain a healthy community.”
From digital estimates and new services, to new relationships and rain-checks, this pandemic has a lot of business owners and contractors thinking outside of the box.