How Australian businesses can thrive, even through COVID-19
Through the devastating GFC a decade ago, some of our most beloved businesses were created. Coronavirus should be no different, but innovators need to step up, writes Maggie Kelly.
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We are currently living through the largest global shutdown since World War II.
The economy is in free fall and businesses across the country are shutting shop every day. Almost 5,000 new staff have been employed by Centrelink just to handle the tsunami of jobseeker applications, and the ABS has forecast 90 per cent of Australian businesses will be affected by the COVID-19 crisis in some way during the coming months. And while this is undoubtedly a profoundly tragic situation, I refuse to believe it’s all bad news.
The quote “never let a good crisis go to waste” (most commonly attributed to Winston Churchill, but could also be my mum), really speaks to the times. We are neck-deep in crisis. Drowning in it. But rather than swim back to shore — to our old way of life — how can we use this situation to level up? What’s the silver lining? Where is the lemonade?
Over the past few weeks, in along with all of the doom, gloom and devastation, I have watched with joy as little green sprouts of hope have begun to poke through. Businesses of all shapes and sizes are morphing overnight. People are turning hobbies into incomes, moving old staff into new roles, sharing resources with the community, and adapting in ways I bet they never thought imaginable.
After a rather traumatic and abrupt return home from overseas, my partner and I had nowhere to go. Armed with six suitcases and a potential $25,000 fine should we go near anyone with a heartbeat, we emailed dozens of AirBnB owners pleading for a place to stay. Most declined.
Our hosts, however, not only accepted our stay, but went above and beyond with incredible generosity. They’ve gone food shopping for us, lent us sports equipment, offered the house at a massively discounted rate, and texted over and again asking if we are okay. Fair to say that number 12 Adios Court is more than just a tropical sanctuary; it’s acted as a sanatorium that’s kept us sane. We quite literally would not have food in our bellies, or a roof over our head, without this family.
Then there’s Angela Gallo, a Melbourne businesswoman who opened the doors to her co-working space, Billionaires Babes Club, before COVID-19 shut them firmly. Instead of wallowing in self-defeat, Gallo got busy. Overnight, she created an ‘online lending library’ where female entrepreneurs can rent out a laptop and get access to $75,000 worth of her business training for a ‘pay-what-you-can’ fee. She’s also providing school supplies for at-home learning, micro-loans for businesses in need, and food supplies for struggling mums. $10,000 worth of products, purchased with her own money. While most of us have been frowning over our own budgets and bills and careers, Gallo has been looking out for her community.
Since the outbreak of COVID-19, high-end clothing brand Scanlon + Theodore has switched from skirts to surgical gowns, using their production team to produce scrubs for our health workers in need. With the fashion industry on an indefinite pause, it’s amazing to see this beloved Aussie brand taking the knock on the chin, and putting their resources to good use. And who knows? Maybe the old surgical gown was in need of a makeover anyway.
And the more you look, the more the list goes on. Yoga studios are offering free online classes, local fruit and veg shops offering free delivery to those in isolation, musicians are performing live-stream concerts, and parents are running co-op playdates via Zoom.
Slowly but surely, the world is stitching itself back together. And just like the global financial crisis of 2007, good things grew in its wake (see: Uber, Airbnb, Instagram, Pinterest, and so many other companies we now take for granted).
As our lives grow steadily more isolated, and the lockdown settles in to stay, more creativity, more innovation, more out-of-the-box thinking will be coming our way. And that can only be a good thing.
Maggie Kelly is a columnist for RendezView.com.au
Originally published as How Australian businesses can thrive, even through COVID-19