How Los Angeles Businesses Can Proactively Pivot During the Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic does not seem to be going anywhere fast. Our city has shut down, initiated an open, suffered a spike, and partially closed again. Amidst the constantly changing rules, regulations, and public opinion on the matter, one thing has become abundantly clear; business owners must quickly learn to balance the health and wellness of their employees with their goals and missions as a business.

As a serial entrepreneur, I have started, grown, and sold a variety of businesses in Los Angeles within the past twenty years. The combined valuations of my businesses exceed $1.1 billion, and I have hired and managed more than seven thousand people throughout my tenure in this city. This pandemic is the largest threat I have ever encountered, and businesses all across our city have been affected. 

I have heard a lot of passionate arguments for a total shutdown. The argument is always that a full and enforced lockdown will save lives, and that saving lives should be our top priority. Sadly, things are rarely so black and white. As a business owner, I am forced to reckon with the responsibility of someone’s livelihood. If we shut down and businesses across the city fail, then how will survivors coming out of lockdown be able to find work and support themselves? Finding a balance between the health of a business that people depend on and the health of people themselves is incredibly difficult, and it is a responsibility that business leaders everywhere should take incredibly seriously. 
The moves you make now are likely to be the most important that you will ever make. I urge business owners in Los Angeles to take proactive steps to preserve both the health and wellness of their employees and the health and wellness of their companies. 

Below are some thought exercises I have used in order to develop proactive steps to keep everyone and everything safe and well during the pandemic:

Thought Exercise #1: Where are your linchpins? By linchpin, I mean the person or the procedure that is holding it all together. As a business owner, you need to uncover the core of why your business is thriving (or was thriving, pre-pandemic). This is where the rubber meets the road. I have seen a lot of people justify things that do not really apply to the crux of what makes their business successful. Most of the time, that distribution of credit is largely harmless, but this is an emergency and we do not have time for egos. The first step in pivoting your business during these times is a frank understanding of why your customers choose you, and who within your company makes it happen for those customers. 

Thought Exercise #2: If this situation became permanent, what would you do? A lot of people have been clinging to the idea that this pandemic is temporary. And while that understanding is vital to mental health for a lot of people, as a business leader, it is not a productive way of thinking. What it does is forces you to accept lower performances and justify a business downturn. Instead, pretend that this is how things will be forever. If that were the case, how would you adjust your business to meet the new needs of our society? 

Thought Exercise #3: Put yourself in the shoes of everyone in your organization. This is something that business leaders should be doing all the time, but it is particularly important during times of crisis. It is easy to think that continuing to work outside of the home is not a big deal when you are not leaving your own home. Practice empathy by really taking the time to explore how it would feel to be every single person within your organization. Include senior leadership, contractors, and vendors in this thought experiment. If you uncover misery or frustration at any level, explore ways to ease the burden. 

The way my business pivots to accommodate our new normal will not be the way that every business pivots. There is no one-size-fits-all solution for making it through this crisis on two feet, but if there was ever a time for compassion and creative thinking, this is it. Your business does not need to grind to a halt, but it will almost certainly need to change directions. Do not be afraid of that change. Lean into the adjustment, and remember that pressure is a catalyst of innovation. Keep your team safe, keep yourself safe, and do everything you can to keep your business running.