1) Brian Robben
While I have great sympathy for anyone who has experienced sickness, death, and loss of income because of COVID-19, there are underlying benefits left and right. For one, we as a society have been shaken up to see what truly matters.
In good times, it’s easy to take blessings for granted. Now, health, loved ones, friends, work, income, food, and shelter, are back to being appreciated. Even going outside and walking is now seen as a great luxury.
The gratefulness and appreciation for the sun, nature, clean air, a working body has gone through the roof. And grateful people are happier and kinder to their coworkers, friends, and family.
From a business standpoint, assuming you’re able to make it out alive, the same is true. This pandemic has caused businesses to become super lean and evolve digitally to continue to serve customers.
Local restaurants are adding online gift card purchases, online food ordering, and focusing on carrying out and delivery strategy. Retailers are investing in ecommerce stores and solid shipping distribution to avert the loss of revenue from zero walk-ins.
Many would never have grown in this capacity without a pandemic forcing their hand. Now, my hope is these benefits are sustained and have a strong foundation to grow once life resumes back to normal.
Even an unjust prison sentence, which is what this feels like for everyone quarantined, will teach the prisoner about themselves, their goals, and their priorities. Let’s find a vaccine, and then have a better outlook on our lives and businesses on the other side.
2) Jason Smith
One of the benefits, due to coronavirus, is the market’s volatility, which is an investor’s dream right now. It’s like we took a time machine to go back 4 years to buy the stocks we had passed on back then, which we regretted.
It’s also possible to have short positions on the Dow Jones, S&P 500, and other market indexes. Those are just a few ways investors can still capitalize when the markets are going down significantly.
3) Paige Arnof-Fenn
I am very concerned about the spread of this virus and the impact it will have on the global economy. This is so much bigger than 9/11 or Hurricane Katrina (I grew up in New Orleans).
The biggest change for me and my clients, from the virus, is the shutdown of all networking events, travel, and conferences. Spring is typically a very busy time with many events, trade shows, business meetings on the road, etc.
And now everyone is staying put and meeting virtually instead. I have had more Zoom and Skype calls with clients and colleagues in the past 15 days than the prior 6 months! It works with friends and family too.
I have been catching up with college roommates, cousins, camp friends from childhood, basically everyone you always say let’s catch up/grab a coffee/a drink but never have or make time to do.
Well now, there is no excuse! A virtual coffee date or cocktail is easy to plan and fun to do. Outside of chatting by phone and online, I have a list of ideas to keep me busy, too. I can read, knit, clean out my basement, finally organize the photos and scrapbook, do craft projects, play board games, binge watch shows and movies I missed, and do puzzles with my fellow quarantines.
My knitting groups and the tai chi studio have been meeting at our regular times online too, which has been great. It is starting to feel like the new normal by leveraging technology to build and maintain my relationships. Finding routines and things we can control helps me think.
The current crisis has also provided a stage for our political and business leaders to rise to the occasion. Between the pandemic and the possible recession, leaders and brands have an opportunity to further connect with anxious people and focus on the true relevance of their message.
We have to acknowledge that now things are different, so we need to communicate in a way that will give our audiences better focus, helping them to create a bridge from today to the future. We need to communicate in a way that combines information and need, synthesizing feeling and facts.
I feel leaders have a tremendous responsibility because never before has communications had the power to help society in the way that it does right now. Words are part of the healing process and we can see which leaders and brands are doing the best job every day with messages that touch not only the mind but also the heart and soul.
There has never been a more important time to provide accurate, empathetic communication with transparency, truthfulness, and timeliness. I do not live in New York but I think many would agree that Governor Andrew Cuomo is the best example of a leader today.
He is authentic, confident, empathetic, provides substance, relevant and all the qualities we need right now. Companies like Procter & Gamble, Coca-Cola, Ford, GM, and New Balance among countless others have stepped up, too. I give them all an A+ for their efforts in addressing this global challenge in our moment of need.
We have seen the air quality and water improve significantly in China, Europe, everywhere by running a climate change study that could¹ve never happened had the world not been forced to hit the pause button this winter. Now we know for sure it is a problem we can fix if we make it a global priority.
I have also started a movement for smaller businesses in my community to be part of the solution by looking at all the groups we are a part of (industry, trade, neighborhood, alumni, women, hobby, religious, non-profit, etc.) and starting our stimulus package by agreeing to support/buy from each other directly and refer business proactively to each other too.
Cross promoting our products and services in our newsletters, follow/like/retweet on social media and vice versa. Whether you need to buy food, a book or a gift, office supplies/equipment, update your website, or create a video there is probably someone in your network who is more than happy to get the business right now.
You can always buy gift certificates from them, too, which is thoughtful and very much appreciated in times like these. I bought gift certificates from my favorite neighborhood restaurants a few weeks ago in fact.
The corner store would probably even carry out your bag to your car if you called them and said you needed some cereal, milk, candy and lottery tickets if you asked. Help your neighbors and network thrive and we will all get through this together stronger.
These ideas do not all require big budgets, but they are productive ways to get through this together. For professional service firms like mine, we will recover even if our revenues slow from the crisis.
Online meetings, webinars, etc. are smart and productive ways companies like ours can continue to have conversations that educate and inform, build relationships and move forward during this crisis period.
Maybe the silver lining is that this crisis reminds us that technology does not have to be isolating as it can be used to build our real-world communities and relationships too!
When it is over, I will be incredibly happy that we did not waste the crisis, if my husband and I remain healthy and have stayed tight with our inner circle of people who mean the most to us and we all find a way to incorporate the lessons of gratitude, simplicity, friendship, and love into the new normal.
I do not want to waste one minute of my life after this with people or things that do not matter. I have heard several people from all walks of life and ages comment recently that being forced to slow down and reconnect with the people who you care about, spending time reading, sleeping more, eating healthier, etc. has been great while at the same time not obsessively on social media with FOMO has been a welcome byproduct of this crisis.
If we can hold on to the very best parts of this lockdown personally and professionally the world will be a better place for it.
4) Melanie DiSalvo
I have worked in the fashion industry for 10 years. And, there is this way that the industry operates, where everything is of the utmost importance, running around like we are saving the world with skinny jeans.
The Devil Wear Prada got it right. I have seen grown adults have child-like tantrums because the shade of a color is not perfect. In this new world that we are living in with coronavirus, it has slowed people down and made them more rational and understanding. They have come to realize that everything doesn’t and can’t be 100% perfect.
The industry is reprioritizing and learning that, at the end of the day, there are more important things like our health and safety then screaming at an intern for organizing samples the wrong way.
5) Sean Nguyen
Coronavirus delivers us the chance for introspection on a silver platter:
We lead such crazy busy lives, both socially and professionally that time just seems to race by. How often do we get the chance to just hit the pause button? Rarely! But now, with the coronavirus pandemic, we’ve been forced to.
Personally, this has been a tremendous opportunity for me to stop and look inward. Examine some of my habits and choices, analyze how I spend my time, and focus on some of the “me” stuff that I have been leaving to the wayside for many years as I run around like a mad man trying to have it all.
As for my business, this experience has had a similar effect. Fortunately, because my business has always been entirely online, I haven’t been hit too hard…yet. But things have slowed down, and this situation has allowed me to zoom out and switch perspectives.
I find myself asking questions like “where do I want this thing to go in five years?” or “is my marketing strategy reinforcing the brand image I want to convey?” Of course, I am usually thinking about these things, but always in the background, always as a secondary thing.
Now, with the world on hold, I have the chance to look at things from a different angle, and I think that will send my life in a new direction once this madness calms down and the world resumes some sense of normalcy.
6) Amanda Ponzar
We’re spending more time as a family, of course. By doing distance and learning working from home, we don’t have to wake up as early and are not wasting time commuting in traffic (which can be rough in the DC area) so we have extra time.
We’re taking daily family walks outside and noticing little things like flowers or special plants. We’re watching family movies together, and checking in with extended family and friends more often. Those are all positives. We stream our church service and sit together at the table watching it. Kind of nice.
Distance learning and working remotely haven’t been that bad. We’re also more grateful for the little things – every day saying what we’re thankful for at meals, and oftentimes it’s food and water and small things or basic needs we wouldn’t have appreciated before.
I’m sending jobs to friends that need them, and we’re all doing what we can to connect and help.
From a work perspective, I’ve been extremely productive, and will most likely work more from home even when this is over. Everyone on the team is looking for ways to help our organization, each other, our nonprofit and company partners, etc.
Just sent an updated press release late yesterday with just some of what our team is doing to respond to COVID-19, such as health resources for those most vulnerable, webinars on the stimulus bill and social impact, color for a cause, virtual volunteering tool and guide, ways to keep kids occupied and more.
We’re all adjusting and being creative, scheduling virtual meetings instead of in-person events, looking for different ways to work together with colleagues, clients, and partners.
So yes, coronavirus is bad, but hopefully, we’re all trying to find the good in it and be more appreciative of the good we have in our lives.
7) Pablo Solomon
Both of my parents survived the 1917-18 pandemic flu. My father lived to be 81, my mother 79. They never had another bout of flu their entire lives.
Because of the unique structural makeup of both the Spanish flu and this current virus, the antibodies produced in the bodies of survivors will probably give them a more universal resistance to future flu outbreaks?
Also–
This virus will hopefully cause us to rethink issues such as health habits, changing our higher university systems, working at home, dismantling and repurposing megacities, using Green technology to live and work in closer harmony with Nature ( as outline in my Green Freedom concept), etc.
If we do not learn from this horror story, we are probably candidates for extinction. Sharks, scorpions and other creatures have survived this earth for hundreds of millions of years ( of course they do not get the flu ). We have only been around for a few hundred thousand years. What are our odds of lasting much longer? It depends on how we learn and adapt.
This pandemic is hopefully causing Americans to grasp the realities of life and how far into La-La Land we have drifted from what is important in life.
8) Ian Martin Ropke
I have been working in the global travel and tourism industry since 1990 as a Japan tour operator and as a global travel startup founder. And I have lived through SARS and other flu epidemics and Fukushima as a long-term resident of Japan.
The primary positive of the coronavirus, for me, and also as a business person, is the irrevocable exposure of human and cultural self-interest. The virus has forced me to realize that many governments are dysfunctional, not to be trusted just because they are authorities. And that most governments and global corporations are interested in their survival and their self-interests first and foremost.
This is a huge positive that will likely become the defining trend of the first half of the 21st century because this virus woke so many people up. People who saw and knew that we, as human beings, could do better—much better in many countries.
Our planet is extremely important over all other interests. And though we are global in terms of trade and commerce we are not global in terms of cooperation and international fraternity. And we haven’t been for a long long time (think WWII).
The world health organization (WHO), like the UN in general, since the second Iraq war, has revealed itself to be a voice without much power. Individual countries have the power, and we, in the coronavirus pandemic, have seen extensive governmental ignorance, selfishness, hiding of vital information to protect national reputations. And we have also seen the devastating consequences of cutting back on health and social welfare programs (notably in Italy, Spain, the UK, and the USA).
The coronavirus is a huge wakeup call for all of humanity to learn to do better and to apply the “new better” to climate change above all else. And this can only be achieved through global cooperative strategies and power structures that simply don’t exist today. We need to create them now or never!
The other big positive of the coronavirus is the enormous opportunities for individual gratitude and community bonding. All of us, who are alive now and who will be alive after the virus passes, have been given a precious spiritual opportunity to be grateful for our health and relative prosperity. And to be compassionate to all others who have and will continue to suffer medically and economically from this once in a century Black Swan event.
9) Phyllis G. Williams
This pandemic is no doubt horrific. We see it, hear it, and feel the pain that occurs due to uncertainty, job loss, and in extreme cases grief. Despite all of those horrors, this pandemic has resulted in restoration.
Here are a few positive things that have risen from the pandemic. I’m a bit of a tree hugger, and so I think of the restoration of the environment. There are fewer cars on the road. More people are creating gardens. Some people are even using bidets which reduces paper usage. There are worldwide reports of animals roaming more freely at locations which they were rarely seen.
In addition to environmental restoration, some relationships are being mended. My dad and I have not had an ideal relationship. He’s said some ugly things to me over the years and a few times I attempted to respond even uglier than him.
He called me when the pandemic spread to America. I hesitantly answered in fear that it would just lead to drama. We have good conversations filled with laughter and laced with kindness. I once hung up teary-eyed because there were so many occasions that I wanted to share with him. There were so many times that I wanted to get his advice.
Lastly, people are getting in tune with themselves. I view people as mind, body, and spirit. Some people in my circle are not only exercising their bodies. They are exercising their faith through praise, stillness, and much needed mental rest.
Unquestionably, the constant news of death and sickness has made many people reflect on their lives and actions. It has made us appreciate the simple things in life. COVID-19 is destructive but as a result, humans are repairing the environment, relationships, and themselves.
10) Christian Antonoff
Despite what people say about the quarantine, as a marketer and self-described introvert, I feel quite okay at home. Work is going better than ever too.
Here’s why I enjoy the quarantine:
A) I get to sleep. As funny as it may sound, now I’m getting more sleep than before. I don’t wake up as early as before, and I don’t work until late in the office. This allows me to have more time for myself and my wife.
B) Fewer expenses. Since the quarantine started, I have spent most of my time at home. I only go out to buy groceries or cat food. I don’t go out to eat or drink, I stopped buying clothes and cosmetics, heck, I even abstain from buying video games. All this has helped me save quite the amount of money.
C) Time to read & play. I’m one of those people who buy books intending to read them, but never do. The Japanee call this *tsundoku*. Now I have all the time for my favorite comic books as well as some sci-fi books I picked up a long time ago.
I also started playing games online again. Lately, I’ve been enjoying Final Fantasy XIV, which I used to play quite a lot in the past. My trusty Switch is also next right beside me. It’s been providing me with much-needed relaxation and fun moments.
11) Rajandeep Kaur
COVID-19, although a deadly pandemic that has thrown the world into a panic, has come with some surprising benefits. The pandemic has led to very low traffic on roads and in air. And because of this, air pollution has decreased to a record low level, which we couldn’t have reached by any of our efforts.
Nature is healing itself that many species of animals and birds, including those on the verge of extinction, can now be easily seen. Carbon emissions have decreased by up to 25%. A significant reduction in nitrogen dioxide is found in the atmosphere due to the very less usage of fossil fuels for commuting.
Families, apart from nature being the primary beneficiary of lockdown, are another beneficiary of this pandemic. Since people are mostly working from home, most people have got the long-desired family time.
People have expressed their joy on social media about how they now have time to spend with their loved ones. My husband and I work from home, but we still steal some family time to spend with our daughter. We wouldn’t have been happier if we did not get this quality time with the family.
We also called some of our extended family members after more than two years because we never had time to get in touch with them earlier. In addition, since we have to stay at home, we were able to cut down on our expenses. We also realized that it is not so challenging to stay healthy and eat homemade food only.
Although we are enjoying this quarantine period because we are getting some quality family time, I genuinely wish this disease would get eradicated from the globe. It has destroyed thousands of families across the world, giving them a life-long wound that can’t be easily healed.
12) Maryl Petreccia
Coronavirus has put the world in a destructive tailspin overnight and the reach is so vast that no one is immune to this global pandemic. However, with any negative, this virus has brought forth our best selves and taught us we can adapt.
It has allowed our generosity to shine, our creativity to expand, our connections to deepen, and our hearts and souls to come to terms with what matters most. As someone who has experienced much grief in my life, I have always found my way back to joy, hence my calling to be “The Joy Expert.”
As someone who tries to find the “silver lining” in daily life – here are ways I have helped or embraced COVID-19 :
A) My late husband was an infectious disease medical doctor so not only am I familiar with infectious diseases but I know what stress this causes the medical profession. Knowing the hospitals were short on protective products I immediately used my contacts to source medical supplies and get them ordered for independent medical offices in the San Diego area.
B) Families are cooking, reading, and playing together from the stay in place initiative. A great example and probably the most seen, the rise of family TikTok routines! In my own family, my daughter & I, barefoot in the grass were dancing. I taught her country swing and twirled her so much, she laughed until she cried!
C) Hygienic practices have been taken to new heights! We have used this opportunity to be reeducated on proper sanitary techniques; how to wash your hands, washing your produce, and proactive cleaning of shopping carts to name a few.
D) Satisfaction with online dating is on the rise! Online daters are GETTING TO KNOW each other! The mandatory virtual meets are slowing the pace of online dating, which is sweetening the overall dating courtship. As someone who is online dating, I appreciate the courtship process versus meeting for a drink at an overcrowded, loud bar.
E) People are now sharing their talents and the currencies of our hearts! We are bartering with our goodness. Our creativity is spawning new trends, new businesses, and new hope. We are doing everyday things together: virtually! From doing yoga together, live music streams, and viral churches are sprouting up! Most of these items are done free or on a donation basis, amazing for those that may be financially suffering at this time.
13) Brandon Mathews
People, during COVID-19, want toilet paper, hand-sanitizer, booze, guns, and insurance. The coronavirus event provides the change to change insurance for good — and to massively accelerate this critical piece of household/business/community well-being.
Lack of insurance is a cause of ~2/3rds of global poverty (per the UK AID/Oxford university development economist Stefan Dercon). Customer demand for insurance has always been high and is now acute.
Getting businesses — mobile operators/insurers — to act on that demand has always been a struggle for micro-insurance. Coronavirus changes latent demand into a near panic to purchase. In the short term, it devastates me that our industry has failed to make a dent in preparing people for this kind of event in emerging markets.
The silver lining is that this will create the basis for people to be insured — idiosyncratic events such as heart attacks, accidents, and so on already impacting millions of uninsured households… COVID-19 is a catalyst to address it.
The planet has 8 billion people, 9 billion mobile phones, and around 12% of the world population have any insurance. The product sounds like a luxury until it’s not.
Coronavirus will substantially increase insurance demand for health, life, and business interruption. Markets affected by epidemics grow 2x faster.
14) Carol Gee
The other day I realized that although the coronavirus is scary, it made me grateful for a lot of things. First, my husband and I are both retired, and so don’t have to be afraid of losing our jobs and livelihoods.
My husband was senior management in the department of food and nutrition at a well-renown Atlanta Hospital, so more than likely he would have still had to report to work.
This pandemic has also made me aware of how spoiled we are as Americans. I have my hair done every two weeks. And although my beautician comes to my house, I realized that my age and health, as well as my spouse who has several chronic health issues, has made me cancel my appointments, for a time, and do my hair myself. I never learned to do it well even with a mother who did hair for over 40 years, including mine.
An online news article proposing a tutorial on how to do home manicures surprised me. It implied that today’s females do not know how to do their nails? I have done mine like forever, being diabetic, and fearful of catching something from getting my nails and feet done at local salons.
Another lesson from COVID-19 is that we aren’t able to depend on the federal government, which isn’t anything new. But I believe many forgot until now. Will any lessons learned during this virus stick, it is anyone’s guess. If nothing else, it’s a reminder to never take anything for granted.
15) Jason Davis
Our business has increased as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. We work in the online education space, so now more than ever companies are looking to transition from in-person to online education.
We’ve also seen an increase in productivity with our staff now that we’re all working from home. Employees are putting in longer hours because, not only are they not having to commute, they also aren’t having “water cooler” conversations like they once were, so that extra time is being used for completing work-related tasks instead.
16) CJ Xia
A) Took us out of rat race: The life before coronavirus was way too fast. We got no time for even ourselves. However, now we are living relatively free. So, the coronavirus has made this thing clear that it is not necessary to run fast in this life.
Life could be spent with peace as well. People realize they have burdened themselves with things that are not necessary. So, this epidemic has told us that less could also be sufficient for us.
B) Health: Instead, many people have realized the importance of the most significant thing in their life i.e., health. They have started yoga, exercise, and meditation during this free time. Now, we are consuming homemade food for a couple of weeks, and not spending on expensive meals.
C) Family time: People who were much busy before have realized the importance of spending quality time with family. They are giving time to their spouse and children. COVID has proved to be a robust way of strengthening relations with family members.
D) Career: Additionally, many have got enough time to think about excelling in their professional life.
At first, we were running 24/7 without thinking much. However, now we have got much time to think and to put question marks on our actions. As a result, our efforts would be more productive now than before. Now we would not be doing things to impress society, but we will act according to our healthy thoughts.
17) Bradley Stevens
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are stuck at home. Coronavirus has changed the world in many ways. Where it has collapsed many things, it also has given rise to some of the right things.
The world, undoubtedly, has been facing much crisis since December 2019. But there are some positive aspects that are associated with this pandemic, given as follows:
A) Saving money: It has affected the growth of many businesses because people, by being in the quarantine phase, are saving money as they spend less keeping themselves at home.
B) Good impacts on Earth: No tourism means no transportation, no airplanes, and the level of carbon dioxide is decreasing with the speed of light. Ozone concentration in the outer layer of the atmosphere is reviving.
C) More time for family: It is a wonderful time to spend with your family, although you get tired by the typical routine during this time you’ll understand that you should spend more time with your family and less in your office in your future.
D) Creative cooking: Some of us have definitely gone for some creative cooking ideas in this plenty of time and also tried some new dishes. It also allows you to cook and eat healthy, which automatically improves your mental and physical health.
E) Increased demand for remote work: With the closure of most of the businesses, remote work demand has been increased, and statistical analysis shows that there will be a thirty percent increase in the market of remote work by 2030.
F) Time to focus on yourself: It’s an ideal time to focus on yourself, whether it is about your health, habits or if you need any change in your behavior or behavioral therapy, then don’t wait anymore, think and note down the things that require change, and after that implement these changes on yourself.
18) Kenny Trinh
The coronavirus has forced me to transition some of my workers to remote work and it has been going well surprisingly.
Here are some positives that have come out of this dreadful situation:
A) Family Bonding Time: One of the greatest benefits that the coronavirus brought was the time to bond with my daughters. I’m a busy man and I barely have time to spend with my family before the pandemic. But because we are locked inside our homes, I get to talk to my daughters and wife and spend time as a family.
B) Try out remote work: I wasn’t too keen on the idea of working from home. I thought it was a waste of time and resources. Its also hard to keep track of productivity this way, which is why I had a very low opinion of it. But since I was forced to transition to this kind of working environment, I’ve realized its not that bad after all. And in fact, I’m seriously considering remotely managing my company from time to time.
C) Self-reflection: Having a lot of free time can make you go crazy. Thankfully, I at least work a minimum of 3-4 hours a day since I still have a company to run. But those extra 4-5 hours gave me time to reflect on my actions and the things I want in life. Now I have a clearer goal in mind of what I want in the next 10 years.
19) Nelson Sherwin
We only have to look back to the early 20th century global Spanish flu outbreak to see that some businesses do prosper in the face of a pandemic.
For as difficult as the circumstances are right now, thanks to COVID-19, we should expect that eventually there will be clear positives to point fingers at.
I expect, from a business perspective, that the government-directed mass exodus from centralized office settings in favor of remote work will be a boom to the virtual administration and HR space, which my company inhabits. But to look more broadly at the fallout from the pandemic, the very nature and location of where the world goes to work are undergoing a fundamental upheaval.
Already, those who work remotely, typically from home, had increased by 159% since 2005, and that rate had been quickening the pace exponentially the last few years in particular.
Expect to see a figurative explosion of products and services aimed at supporting the newly massive work-from-home crowd. It’s not much of a stretch to imagine that a great number of those who found themselves relocated due to a shelter-at-home order will never return to a central office because business owners will have forcibly learned that there is simply no reason to maintain a real-world storefront in many instances.
With that in mind, every business owner should spend time thinking about how they can come up with new products or services to take advantage of this workforce iteration.
20) Lynell Ross
The following are the positive lessons I have learned due to the Coronavirus situation:
Not long after I realized we were in a global pandemic, I knew I had to begin looking for the good that could come out of it. From all the disappointments, loss, and grief in my life, the way, though, has been finding the lessons and the gifts.
This Coronavirus outbreak has forced me to slow down and to pay better attention to my self-care and healthy habits. Being a Health Coach, I practice healthy habits, but I was beginning to slide back into doing less exercise, not eating as many fruits and vegetables as I need, and I was also beginning to rush through life, not paying enough attention to loved ones.
I was forced, being sheltered in my own home, to see that there are many things I need to be doing but was making excuses not to do them, such as clearing clutter, deep cleaning the house and taking care of things I now realize I just don’t like doing. All of a sudden, my home became a house of mirrors, showing me everything I don’t like about myself or that I don’t want to do.
I was beginning to spend more money than I needed on frivolous things even though I am normally budget conscious. And worst of all, I was procrastinating on doing things I love, saving the good times for later.
One of the best outcomes due to COVID-19 will be for me to maintain my healthy habits such as eating well, drinking enough water, taking my daily vitamins, exercising and getting enough sleep.
I will, both mentally and emotionally, appreciate everything in my life, my home, my family, friends, our community and my health. I look forward to getting back to my volunteer efforts and will do so more cheerfully now. I have been given the gift of practicing living in the moment and finding joy in the small things.
I have always conserved resources, but I will be even more diligent with that now. We live on a finite planet and each one of us can make positive contributions to saving our earth, such as recycling, using and buying less, especially the things that we don’t need.
Most of all, this virus has taught me that each minute of life is precious, each person matters and there is no time to waste being critical or unhappy.
21) Abir Syed
I’ve been, at least so far, fortunate enough to get busier during the quarantine. While there certainly is a reflex for businesses to minimize spending due to the uncertainty, for those who can afford it, this is an opportunity to work on some long-term projects that they normally don’t have time for.
For some of my clients, we were moving at a pace that was somewhat bottle-necked by the amount of time they could contribute to the projects. But since a lot of their other activities are on hold, they can dedicate more time to these projects that will improve their business in the long run.
For many businesses, while they know that an investment in growth marketing is an important thing to do for their business, they’re always so busy at the moment that they don’t get around to it. For them, this is a great opportunity. Again, assuming they have the cash flow for it.
22) Randy VanderVaate
Coronavirus lets us realize that life is frail, and death is inevitable. People have also become aware of the importance of getting financial protection for their families.
Prospective customers, when they contact us, don’t question the need to purchase life insurance. They have already made up their mind that life insurance is an essential financial planning tool that they should take care of before they are affected by the pandemic.
We, at Funeral Funds, have seen a massive increase in life insurance inquiries and requests for quotes. Because of the COVID-19 scare, many more people are buying life insurance to protect their loved ones.
23) Mark Nelson
Since everyone is home practicing social distancing there is a huge uptick in e-commerce food buying. Our busiest day of the year was typically Cyber Monday after Thanksgiving and now every day is the same.
Across all categories are customers are seeing 50% or more increase in order volume. Because of coronavirus, our business is fortunate to be booming… and we are hiring additional workers (some out of work bartenders or restaurant workers) to meet the demand.
We like to think that each package we ship is bringing someone a smile when they receive their healthy or amazing food at home.
24) Alexandra Fasulo
I am a small business owner, freelancer, and serial entrepreneur. Although no one can question the seriousness and gravity of the coronavirus, I can predict some positive small business shifts that will emerge from this.
I own a mobile camper and horse trailer business where we flip old trailers into mobile bars. We have seen a spike in interest from restaurant and bar owners looking to say goodbye to brick and mortar, and hello to a business on the road.
I also freelance on Fiverr. I have not had any slowing in my copywriting orders. More people than ever before are taking their businesses online. It’s about time – our country has lagged behind other nations in technological proficiency for far too long.
25) Thomas Bradbury
The novel Coronavirus has brought devastation to the world. It is one of the biggest pandemics we face in the modern world.
It is pure evil in our world, yet it may also come with some upsides – even though hard to believe. With a lockdown in place in various areas of the world, people are forced to remain indoors. While this may be unpleasant, it is giving families a chance to spend more time together. Family time is something that we are seeing less of these days – every family member is on their journey through life.
The coronavirus outbreak also poses as an opportunity to help people realize just how important personal hygiene is, which is also something that many people did not take too seriously before the pandemic.
Bottom Line: The COVID-19 outbreak might bring families together and help us learn just how important hygiene is.
26) Danielle Strouther
Nothing brings people together quite like a crisis. Although it’s horrible circumstances, the overwhelming messages of positivity and help that people are offering each other are amazing.
Another positive of COVID-19 is the potential it opens for more remote offices and working for the future. This time is a big learning curve for a lot of businesses, but one that will hopefully break the stigma around working from home and prove that people can be productive when at home.
This pandemic will open up more benefits towards mental health, as 69% of workers state that working at home is better for their mental health.
27) Keith Myers
The reality is that many people are trying to avoid crowded gatherings and public places. And this why it is easy to understand why the online purchase of goods during COVID-19 has increased.
Online shopping, in the long term, will get a boost from the lifestyle changes being forced on consumers because of the coronavirus. And so, what I find positive during this period, and being active in the media field, is that revenue has increased more than in previous periods.
However, this comes with a problem, which is that “ If we have the supply, we’re going to get more sales.” But what we face is sourcing supplies, given the widespread factory closure in China, where many online retailers buy their merchandise. Or the distributor is ready but the shipping units are not yet authorized to operate.
Orders may ship later than planned, likely resulting in a loss of orders as customers could be impatient. This is a problem that has been troubling, in addition to persuading customers and promoting suppliers.
Consumer behavior will probably change as a result of a pandemic, typically in the form of a digital conversion business.
Businesses, during the peak of anti-COVID-19, need to maintain the morale of their employees and prepare adequate schedules to deal with any situation.
28) Angel Tuccy
I’m now quarantined at home with my family instead of flying across the country.
At first, I was anxious about what this would mean to the entire event industry, but I’ve seen more benefits show up.
I’ve been able to stay connected with clients with virtual meetings. I was able to put together a 2-day virtual summit in 10 days with 28 speakers stream it online.
I have dinner with my family every night. We’ve started playing board games together. We watch family movies.
I decided to go for a jog the other day, and the trails were filled with entire families as I’ve never seen before. And it was a Tuesday.
Yes, I was anxious to be trapped at home. Now, I am grateful.
29) Jamie Thomas
Despite the obvious downsides to the COVID-19 epidemic, I am relishing this time at home.
I am still working all day. However, now on things we never have time for such as improving strategy, formalizing training processes and manuals that normally fall by the wayside in the bustle of the day to day far more urgent life and death issues that come with animal welfare.
While writing standard operating procedure (SOP) may not sound like “fun” in any way, frankly I am just so thrilled it can get done, I am really into it.
I am also pursuing an animal welfare certification (with the exam) that I never thought I’d have time to study for and learning to code so I can update and troubleshoot the database we use.
Besides the extra time I am using to my advantage professionally, I am thrilled to have my husband working from home with me. We really enjoy spending time with each other and while we are both working and respect the other’s space and time, we can still talk to each other, hug and or just chill for a moment in time before we get back to work.
We have been taking the dogs for a walk during lunch and frankly, I have done more exercise now than I usually do. Who knew all it would take was a pandemic to get me to find time to do so?!
I love and appreciate my home and personal life, and I am quite mindful- but sometimes, I really can’t balance that. I am glad that during this time, I have no choice but to be present, live in the moment and just appreciate how fortunate I am in the whole scheme of it all.
30) Samantha Radford
While it’s been difficult, we have had some definite financial positives from the lock-down.
Originally, we were planning for a big trip to Disney World mid-April, but we had to cancel. Fortunately, we were able to get all our money back. We’ve decided to take this money, plus what we were saving as spending money, to completely pay off our consumer debt.
This move will lower our monthly outgoing expenses, and will hopefully allow my husband to get a less demanding job within a year or so. We look forward to having more regular family time in the evening and on weekends!
Ultimately, I think this situation is giving us practice at being more responsible with our money. We’re getting used to cooking more and eating out less and questioning whether an item is truly essential before we go out and buy it.
31) Marcus Lobow
Of course, the coronavirus pandemic is terrible but I believe there will be a lot of benefits to come out of it.
A) Many of our staff have been given the ability to work from home for the first time and we have noticed a boost in productivity. After this, I think a lot more people will be allowed to work flexibly.
B) Heading into a completely unknown economic environment we looked at our finances as we felt cash flow could be key to survival over the next few months. We looked at unnecessary spendings, which we have cut back on as this will benefit us beyond this time.
C) Being away from the office, in this time of uncertainty, has brought everybody together and there is a sense of togetherness within the company. A lot of people are realizing how much they not only enjoy the job they’re doing but also how much they enjoy and appreciate the people around them.
I hope, after this pandemic, this trend will continue when people come back into the office.
32) Andrew Taylor
I will leave the environmental impacts for others to discuss because I am sure they will come through thick and fast.
I do feel like we were reaching that point where ‘something needed to give’, especially environmentally, and this brick wall, COVID-19, has certainly given a small reprieve from pollution for one, as well as reduced density of people around, giving animals a little space.
My point is for those people struggling to catch a break at the bottom. Many of us have been there and it is certainly hard clawing your way back up to the top when everyone else is already sitting pretty and moving along at speed.
Those who were floundering, failing or falling, with this reset, can catch a break with the rest of society and use this as an opportunity to have an equal start with others.
Whether this is simply a mental advantage, which remains to be seen. But we should take whatever we can in these uncertain times.
33) Crissy Conner
I feel like this has changed my family life: we aren’t eating out as much, we cook every meal, we eat all the leftovers versus throwing them away. We are also together a lot more and although I recharge during alone time, I’ve made the best of the situation, giving everyone their own space when needed.
We are saving money not driving anywhere, where my daughter had activities at a minimum of 4 nights a week and school commitments, we now only drive for essential reasons. We used to be a family that had take-out probably 3-4 times a week and now we are down to 1 time a week. The savings alone is a huge positive.
I also see a community that has come together, realizing we are strong together (at a distance). And I’ve seen others make meals for other families, share an ingredient, help watch other people’s kids (before the stay at home order was issued).
I see everyone helping small local restaurants. The restaurants have been busy, on nights we have had take out, which makes me so happy as a small business owner myself. Leaving bigger tips than normal, knowing that they will have slow days has been something I’ve tried to do more of as well.
I have tried, as a business owner myself, to keep that abundance mindset while purchasing offerings from other online entrepreneurs. I’ve added a few smaller digital products to my offerings, which have helped others to still be able to purchase from me and allows me to keep commitments (ex. Monthly coaching, training, masterminds, etc.) that I’ve set up with other small businesses and entrepreneurs. I don’t want it to be a domino effect, “You can’t pay me, so I can’t pay anyone else type situation.
If we can all keep buying, even small products from each other, I think that will help us all stay in business. And although this time may be stressful for some, we can get through it by rallying online together, realizing we are good at pivoting, supporting and providing value to our audiences and show up as we’ve never shown up before for our customers and audiences.
34) Kat Courtney
The business and financial benefits I am experiencing due to the Coronavirus is truly profound. This allows us to never take a single client or sale for granted, and to cultivate a much more
customer-focused experience, based on gratitude. We are now incentivized to be creative, daring, and to respond to what our clients need, with integrity and compassion.
The business that is pivoting with this awareness really can thrive in this climate. Recessions and crises always bring about the opportunity to work with what our honest reality entails, and there is so much power in that integrity. We are now universally mindful of reckless spending and poor business choices, and that is never, ever a bad thing.
Some of the greatest advances in our society have come from the most challenging times. This is an unprecedented opportunity, but only if we see it as such. Those that see it as pure evil and torturous will, unfortunately, make that a reality too. But those of us that welcome the chance to take lemons and make margaritas can make this one of the most powerfully positive experiences of our business, and personal, lives.
35) Bilal Qizilbash
My company, as an essential consumer packaged goods (CPG) / food-tech startup in the time of COVID-19, is currently operating at full manufacturing and sales capacity while simultaneously stepping up to collaborate with local restaurants to provide emergency meals to the less fortunate in Jackson, Ms.
Now, as a result of social distancing and as an “autistically awesome” CEO, I’ve found that the lack of overwhelming stimuli has created an ideal environment for me to work. For example, the lack of crowds gives me a sense of freedom from the “social disguise” I put on to blend in with the rest of the world.
The ability to exhibit behaviors like rocking back and forth when processing data, fidgeting in my seat and setting up my favorite action figures on my workspace is liberating– similar to when people come home from a long workday and take their shoes off.
Overall, this has also contributed to positive results for my business. The lack of otherwise overwhelming stimuli has contributed to a 20% increase in productivity; and as a result, a 700% increase in sales.
36) Nicholas Bachewicz
We, as a startup, began to feel the real impact of coronavirus affecting us when universities began closing. The main part of our services is providing a platform for employers to pre-select students to meet with at *in-person *career fairs, so the concept of no open universities to host career fairs took away part of the foundation of our company’s revenue.
we, as a team, discussed viable options to pivot our value proposition to universities, and we decided to shift our focus to providing virtual fairs. We already have the platform to create the employer-students connections; we just needed to build a component where we could then host these virtual meetings once recruiters selected the students they wanted to meet.
We’re now working with universities to help them host virtual fairs or plan limited-attendee-size fairs with pre-set meetings for the fall, depending on the university preference. Even when coronavirus begins to decline, there will most likely be a cap on large gatherings, so universities can use InternX to match employers with the qualified candidates they know they want to interview, with pre-scheduled one-on-one meeting slots.
The virtual component, in the future, can still be continuously used in case of extreme weather cancellations or any other issue that may unexpectedly arise.
Creativity, flexibility, and persistence are crucial in times like this. Our company was centered around in-person connections, and colleagues were commenting on what a difficult time it had to be for InternX. If we had that mindset, we’d be stressed and stagnant. Instead, we went from limited business opportunities during this pandemic to a plethora of options for the current state-of-affairs and the future!
37) Steve Jefferson
I believe coronavirus caught us all flat-footed. The whole world faced drastic changes. I’m not happy about that. Usually, I traveled a lot. I needed to cancel a few trips planned.
I’ve lost my job. While there are good things that happened to me during the lockdown. First, I realized, that it’s a perfect time to get to the things I wanted to do for a long time.
I listen to good philosophy lectures now. I have time to work on my blog on wood carving. I carve a lot. Every day, I spend at least an hour carving wood.
I’ve got fewer social contacts, and they are more valuable to me now. I do video calls with some of my friends. We have breakfast and dinner together, and we also go to movies and museums. These are all done online, but still, they are real. All we need is to broaden our mind and look at things from a different angle.
Moreover, I feel better now. Meaning that I have some peace inside. I try not to read news and don’t spend a lot of time on Facebook. I meditate a lot and this way I feel purified, I guess. Overall, I have got some mindfulness.
It feels like some inner peace. Of course, there are a lot of terrible things that have happened all over the world. And it’s not that I don’t want this to end. But I’m glad I was able to get closer to myself, to look at life from a different angle.
38) Torben Lonne
Although the coronavirus has pretty much wrecked all my travel plans for the spring and the summer, at least there is one silver lining. I was able to not spend all the travel I had pre-booked in January, all the way up until September.
This included multiple airplane and train tickets for myself and my family as well since we were supposed to spend a few weeks in Italy this summer. I had everything from Airbnb’s to villas, hotels and private tours all pre-booked.
Unfortunately, it hasn’t been easy to salvage all the money I spent, in fact, right now I’m one airplane ticket away from getting 95% of the money that was refundable back. Which is a pretty good percentage considering many people lost several thousand dollars or they weren’t able to recover their travel expenses.
The money I got back actually came at a good time, since the business has slowed down during the past months. Actually, had I gone through with traveling this year and the coronavirus hit in the fall, I probably would have gone bankrupt! So amidst this horrible situation that the coronavirus has caused all of us, at least I was able to salvage some much-needed reserve funds for my business.
39) Jayne Portnoy
I’ve spent a lifetime in the hospitality industry and therefore never surprised at the way we show up for each other. We were the first to serve hot food ground zero, knee-deep in repairing the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and organized to feed millions worldwide when mother nature is at her ugliest.
Jose Andres and his World Central Kitchen is the greatest beacon of this work – but its been happening organically for decades. Restaurateurs are made of equal parts grit and heart and while operators may never open their doors again, they’re busy feeding their teams and anyone that needs nourishment.
There are silver linings to be found in families like the Canlis that are helping others figure out how to turn fine dining into to-go, and genius celebrated chefs such as Grant Achatz serving comfort meal kits to keep us connected and fed, the mainstream California Pizza Kitchen turning their restaurants into Bodegas so families can get milk, bread and veggies to keep contact to a minimum.
Furthermore, are the actions and efforts of those that are hit the worst. Legions of out-of-work bartenders are suddenly becoming experts in unemployment and creating tools to share with others.
The USBG National Charity Foundation is actively working on a new platform to bring Financial, Physical and Mental wellness to its community at no cost and will provide classes, workshops, and panels to anyone that needs help, in addition to the millions of dollars in aid they are dolling out daily.
The hospitality industry isn’t well known for the pendulum that swings toward wellness, but free workshops, meditation, yoga and the like are increasingly readily available and complimentary for those in need.
