Pandemic forcing businesses to take advantage of digital tools

The past 18 months have been challenging for all of us as we navigate the pandemic. In addition to the lives lost and devastation on a personal level, COVID-19 has created a difficult landscape for business owners and entrepreneurs.

National Small Business Week, which runs through Sept. 18, serves as a testament to the entrepreneurial spirit. No matter what we are facing, entrepreneurs in Michigan and beyond are going to innovate to stay afloat and even thrive during this difficult time.

The recent Global State of Small Business report gives us the harsh truths entrepreneurs are facing in 2021. As of this July, 58 percent of Michigan small business owners say they are confident in their ability to stay open for at least 12 months, which is six percent lower than the national average. And while much has opened back up here in Michigan, 29 percent are also expecting a lack of demand and/or customer challenges, and 33 percent have reduced employment as a result of the pandemic.

Things are especially difficult for minority-led small businesses. In the U.S., minority-led small businesses were at least 50% more likely to report being closed (20%, compared to 13% for other small businesses), a reduction in year-to-year sales (44% compared to 29%) and reduced employment as a result of the pandemic (32% compared to 20%).

As a black entrepreneur in Michigan operating two gyms in Detroit and Birmingham, I’ve experienced this struggle first-hand. The fitness industry was hit hard by the arrival of the pandemic, and has been one of the last industries to recover. The reality is that we may never get back to the way things were before March 2020, especially in terms of the way we exercise.

I realized early on in the pandemic that innovation and changing my business model was the only way to succeed. Business owners who were able to make a pivot had a better chance of survival. With no end to the pandemic in sight, that fact remains true today.

So what can businesses do to adjust? For many industries, a more permanent approach to
hybrid operation - part in person, part virtual/online/via social media - is the recipe for success.

When the pandemic hit, our gyms were among the first to offer classes outdoors as a COVID precaution. We also increased our online presence and maintained clients via virtual workouts on Facebook Live and Instagram Live. That trend continues to this day, as some clients have grown to prefer the online model. Even with businesses reopening, many gym-goers prefer not to return to the in-person model, so those in the fitness industry need to be prepared for this transition to become permanent on some level.

Beyond moving the business more online, other levels of innovation are required. In recent months, I’ve started traveling to other cities — including Pittsburgh and Atlanta — to hold pop-up classes of my signature BOYO (boxing and yoga) workouts. Following the events, attendees have been reaching out about signing up for virtual training. With less foot traffic, this was one way I saw to reach people who would never step foot in my gyms in Michigan.

Each industry will have to find its own unique way, but it’s no longer optional to think outside the box and maximize the use of digital tools to attract business. In my case, I was even able to use analytics from my social media pages to determine which cities would be the best fit for these special events.

It’s not easy to adapt to a pandemic with no end date in sight, but by being innovative, flexible and exploring the proper tools — especially in the digital realm — entrepreneurs in Michigan are more likely to come out of the tunnel and into a brighter place when this era is finally complete.

And on the consumer level, if you’re looking to support your favorite local businesses, there are ways you can help, during Small Business Week and beyond. Buy gift cards, order local instead of national, visit the businesses in your community, and support and spread their messages online via social media. Small businesses want to be around long after the pandemic ends, so they can continue to provide goods and services to the community, and they need all the support they can get right now.

Willie Fortune is co-owner of Jabs Gym, which has locations in Birmingham and in Detroit.