Browsing Tag
Crisis management
16 posts
Tips for Keeping Your Company Grounded During a Crisis
Being a business owner is one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences I’ve ever had the opportunity to embark on. The endless cycle of personal and professional growth and learning makes for a truly life-changing experience. But surviving a global pandemic can quickly become one of the most stressful times of any entrepreneur’s career....
March 2, 2022
5 Reasons Why Startups Need to Create a Crisis Communications Plan Now
A crisis can happen to any business at any time. While planning for a crisis may seem quite ironic, given that the very definition of the word is something that happens unexpectedly, it is incredibly important that business owners invest in creating a crisis communications plan. A thoughtful and well-crafted plan has the potential to...
October 11, 2021
15 Business Leaders Share Their Experiences and Insights on Getting Through COVID-19
There’s no doubt that COVID-19 set the economic tone for 2020. The pandemic has hit investor and customer confidence, forced teams across the world into their homes, and caused many businesses to close down entirely. And, although future regulations in countless countries are yet to be known as governments continue to monitor infection rates, many...
December 19, 2020
3 Signs a Founder Has What it Takes to Scale a Startup During a Crisis
As the COVID-19 pandemic horizon stretches onward and a return to normalcy appears ever more distant, adaptation is the only option. Founders must prepare for a lengthy economic downturn, a slower sales pipeline, extended fundraising timelines and a deeply disrupted workplace — circumstances no one was planning for at the start of 2020. Simply staying...
October 24, 2020
Would Your Startup Survive a Cyberattack?
A cyberattack can instantly cause significant harm to a business. But the chance of a startup being hit is slim. So why bother with robust precautionary measures. Right? Wrong. Cybercriminals aren’t picky about who they target and, with fewer resources to protect themselves, smaller businesses are actually more likely to be a victim. You might...
October 2, 2020
7 Ways the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act Can Help Your Business
Update 6/5/2020: President Trump signed the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act into law. The legislation gives small business owners more flexibility in how they can use PPP funds and may make it easier to qualify for forgiveness. The House and Senate have passed the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act of 2020 and the President is...
June 5, 2020
4 Steps to Move Your Business from Defense to Offense in Times of Disruption
“Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” – Mike Tyson As entrepreneurs and business leaders, we’ve all been punched in the mouth recently. What’s your new game plan? Since COVID-19, the annual or quarterly one you had is now irrelevant. You have two options: Sit and wait for the world to go...
June 3, 2020
Email Marketing Best Practices to Implement During a Crisis
Today, people are more engaged online than ever before, and email marketing has continued to prove it’s one of the most effective marketing tools out there. At a time when communicating with customers is so important for small businesses, there are certain best practices and guidelines to follow for developing and sharing the right content. StartupNation...
May 19, 2020
5 Things Your Business Should Do Now to Recover From the Pandemic
COVID-19 has plunged the global economy into a now inevitable recession. Businesses of all sizes have been impacted, but startups and small to medium-sized businesses are suffering the most. Overnight, many startups have seen all of their clients become “at risk.” With less disposable income, their business operations may slow, along with sales. External support...
May 18, 2020
5 Characteristics of Great Crisis Communications
Getting your crisis communications right is critical to both weathering the storm and coming out on the other side with loyal customers who are still standing by your side. Like any form of customer communication, there are many details to take into consideration, including what tone you use, your ability to connect with the customer...
May 15, 2020
Crisis Ahead: How to Prepare for and Bounce Back from Disasters
The following is excerpted from “Crisis Ahead: 101 Ways to Prepare for and Bounce Back from Disasters, Scandals and Other Emergencies” by Edward Segal. Nicholas Brealey Publishing © 2020 The coronavirus crisis This is not the introduction I intended when I completed the draft manuscript for “Crisis Ahead.” After COVID-19 grew from a regional outbreak to...
May 12, 2020
Keep Navigating Through the Rapids: 5 Tips for Surviving a Recession
To say that we’re in a trying time for business owners, big and small, would be an understatement. But don't lose hope. With patience and resolve, you and your business can still come out of this headstrong. Take it from me, a veteran rafting guide and founder of Blue Ridge Chair Works, a made-in-the-U.S. furniture...
May 4, 2020
How to Help Your Startup Thrive in Disrupted Market Conditions
When the macroenvironment (and the coronavirus pandemic is a macroenvironmental factor, if ever there was one) causes a disruption, it’s a good time for a startup to step back and review its overall strategy, business model and tactics. Let’s start with a big picture strategy issue, then cover a couple of tactical issues to help...
April 15, 2020
Expecting the Unexpected: 5 Ways Your Business Can Handle a Crisis
From natural disasters to cyber attacks to power and internet outages, disruptions to your business can happen at any moment – and often when you least expect it. The current COVID-19 pandemic is a prime example. The consequences for a lack of preparedness can be severe, especially when your company is just getting off the...
March 25, 2020
Crisis Response Tips to Help Your Small Business
The phrase ‘crisis response’ invokes images of corporations scrambling to assess damage control, companies issuing public statements and press conferences in front of media and most recently, the myriad of organizations devastated by Japan’s earthquake and tsunami. Some small business owners interpret crises to involve large corporations that spark a high volume of media coverage,...
June 7, 2011
Prep for CNBC’s The Big Idea
I've been appearing here and there on The Big Idea with Donny recently. Thought you might get a kick out of how the show comes together and the role of so-called experts (yours truly included) who are invited on the show. Below are the emailed questions I received from the producers in advance of my...
August 21, 2008