The Summer of Covid-19

Firstly, a note on the above image.

I chose it because, depending on how I look, I see two different ways to interpret it - both of which are equally valid, and highly relevant to the situation we find ourselves living through.

The first interpretation is of two people arm-wrestling, engaged in a battle against each other, and I find this very comparable to how most of the business community and indeed, the general population, are engaged in a fight against the coronavirus.

It's a fight in terms of health (both physical and mental), and in terms of trying to stay afloat during very challenging circumstances.

The second interpretation is of two people clasping their hands together in a show of solidarity and mutual support, with the money on the table in front of them representing a commitment to helping each other through a difficult period.

Both of these interpretations of the image effectively sum up the experiences which hundreds of millions of people, perhaps even billions, are currently living through.

Those who are not engaged in a battle of health with coronavirus, have almost certainly found themselves in an economic battle - fighting as hard as they can to pay their bills and cover their overheads in a world where widespread business closures, draconian social controls and consumer panic, are the norm.

However, throughout this challenging time, we have seen a real community spirit and mutual goodwill develop, as people help their friends, family, neighbours and peers to cope as best they can with our present conditions.

As vast numbers of individuals and businesses are having to deal with substantial economic pressures, many people have adopted the mentality of, 'we are all in this together,' and have helped each other out wherever possible - whether that means financial support, exchanging services, delivering extra value on top of their normal offerings, or simply offering mental or moral support to keep spirits up.

My personal approach has been to offer additional bonuses to clients, on top of my usual service levels, at no additional cost, in order to try and make myself as indispensable to them as possible, while providing as much value as I possibly can, for the during of the lockdown.

The mutual benefits this approach yields has meant that it's worked pretty well for all involved so far, which is very pleasing.

My point about a community spirit and a 'we are all in this together' mentality developing, is relevant here because I would not have been able to deliver all this extra value to clients, at no additional cost to them, if I hadn't been able to call on a few favours from some of my trusted contacts.

I will always remain grateful to those who have helped me during this difficult time, and hope I have been of some assistance to them too.

Lastly, I will give a quick update on some of the awesome clients we've begun working with recently:

Sam Massey of Superlocrian

Chris Robinson of Yellow Car Shop

Karen Hutchison of KH First Aid Training

All the team from TLX Group