Adapting to Change
My journal entry from April 25th, 2020
I’ve always found that the most successful businesses in the world are those that have the ability to be flexible, pivot, and adapt to change. Core Value 4 at New Scooters 4 Less is to Embrace and Shape Change and embracing change is something we certainly did when this pandemic started.
At first, we zeroed in on short-term income opportunities, the first being “Corona Virus Storage” which allowed college students to drop their scooters off for storage during the “2 weeks to flatten the curve” as most returned home. This brought revenue in the door initially and as we found out students would not be returning to the classroom, led to an extension of these storage services through the summer. This revenue helped us until we acquired the PPP which would carry us further. These were short-term pivots that gave us a couple of quick wins during an uncertain time.
From there, we started looking at how we would sell scooters if we weren’t able to have a showroom full of customers anymore. We set up Calendly to help us schedule sales and service appointments. We set up DocuSign to give us the ability to sell scooters and sign paperwork electronically with customers. At one point, I even had our podcast videographer come in and film each scooter to make a “video showroom,” if you will, so customers could get up close to the units without being there in person. As you can imagine, ALL of these resources are still being used today “post-pandemic” and have made us even stronger now that things are more “normal.”
See this and everything that was on my mind in this prayer…
[Retyped and elaborated for clarity and context…]
Saturday April 25th, 2020 10:34p
Jesus - thank you for another week of growth and health. I’m feeling much better, my cough is practically gone, and most of my pain has subsided. Thank you.
It felt good to get back into some “routine” this week. Even though [team members names] are working remote and the service team is still working behind “closed” doors at the shop, having daily huddles and team meetings weekday mornings and end of day wrap-ups have been good. It has helped make things feel more “normal.” [As stated in a previous post, if I was going to do this again, I would have been at the dealership behind those closed doors with most of my team instead of working remotely.]
Thank you for the sale of the Cabo scooter and the Genuine Motorcycle this week. Please brings us more leads and sales. Thank you for my team. Thank you for [team member name]. She really helped us get the docusign stuff figured out so we could sell stuff electronically (all scooter paperwork). It gets me excited about the things to come. I love to see our team innovating and preparing for the future. Lord, I get excited for the future and would love to share this vision with you (and document it for me) and if it is your will Jesus, bless it and may it glorify you…
I love NS4L. I love the innovating, updating processes, growing as a leader, and getting excited about the change and even the uncertainty that lies ahead amidst this virus. Sure, I know that is because you’ve got me. I have a lot of confidence in knowing you have a plan for my life. [Funny how often we forget this and lose faith, right? Like Peter stepping out of the boat on the water to walk toward Jesus, all it takes is a storm, a trial, a challenge to cause us to take our eyes off Jesus and sink. See Matthew 14:28-32. Always submit to His will.] What I’ve realized is that I don’t want to be the “operator” of NS4L. I would love to play a role and focus on the media and marketing, but I don’t want to be the primary operator. I wouldn’t mind being the chief vision officer, Leadership development coordinator, etc.
Anyway, this week my friend [name omitted for privacy] said something in passing “I wish I could afford to buy your business.” I’m not sure how serious he was, but Jesus, if there is anything there, I pray you would allow those doors to open. LORD - I want to be out of my operational role at NS4L by 2021. My heart wants to really pursue this podcasting business. I know I’m late to the game, but I feel like I could build something that really builds others. Build it through me Jesus. Use me. Open doors. I’d love to build a studio where we continue to interview people in person but attract the greatest talent to Gainesville to be interviewed. I’ve had my eye on [a web domain I want to buy] as a centralized “hub” of content, but at $5,000, I’ve held off. I pray over this studio vision, this web domain, and pray that if you want these things to happen for me in my life, you will make them happen.
[As a reader, if you are tired from me praying over the same thing over and over, I’m sorry, lol. At this moment in time, I thought persistence would get me what I wanted, but God’s answer was still “no” and continues to be “no” (at least today) because it wasn’t (and isn’t) what he wants for my life. I trust that His plan is better.]
I pray that my visions in business, my community, and my life will glorify you. May I never get wrapped up in “fame” or “possessions” (though I have neither, I believe they could be in my life on a micro level and want my heart to always be fixed on you). [The podcast was my first taste of this. I had been recognized in Gainesville by complete strangers that would come up to me and say hi and say “I’m a fan of the podcast!” Sure, it was minor like when you see your local news anchor in the grocery store, but I wanted to be reminded to never let it anything get to my head and to keep my eyes and heart focused on Jesus and serving others. Today, the podcast is on pause, so it isn’t a problem, lol.]
Thank you for all the gifts you have given me. I love you.
Your son,
Collin
I look forward to sharing more of the ways we completely changed the way we do business and how it made us more profitable than we had ever been (and continue to be).
How did the pandemic change you (and your business if you are an entrepreneur)? I’d love to hear about it. Leave a comment below.
Until next time, thank you for reading and sharing! Blessings.