5 Strategies to Help Your Small Business Survive a Recession
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Recession is a scary word for every business.
It’s particularly worrisome for small businesses that may not have the same financial cushioning as large companies.
Some say a recession is coming, while others say it’s already here.
In either case, you must develop a strategy to recession-proof your business, and you should do this now. As the economy takes a deeper dive, it will be much harder for you to respond timely and keep your business afloat.
This isn’t something you planned for when you created a business plan.
Don’t panic. You can do things to weather the turmoil of a recession.
Here’s what your small business can do to respond appropriately during economic hardship.
1. Focus on core competencies
When you were writing your business plan, and in the early stages of starting a business, you weren’t sure what your strengths and weaknesses would be.
But, as you operated your business, you began to understand those strengths and weaknesses.
Your business has something that it’s good at.
It’s most likely the core product or service of your business. And that’s what will carry your business through a recession.
There are times to pour your efforts into a new path with an unknown return on investment.
Sometimes the biggest risks lead to the biggest rewards. But a recession isn’t one of those times.
Instead, scale back to the products and services you know to perform the best. And don’t waste your budget trying to support weaker products or services. Focus on promoting your best products or services to past and current customers and prospects.
And, if possible, find ways to generate multiple streams of revenue promoting your core product or service. Multiple revenue streams will give you more financial flexibility when times get tight.
You can also increase your revenue streams by introducing VIP and economy versions of your existing service. Consider a subscription option with added benefits for automatic renewal. Even better – assess if there’s a new way to apply your core competency to help in the changing economic climate.
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2. Don’t stop marketing
During a recession, more than ever, it’s important to do whatever you can to stay top-of-mind for customers.
Recessions tend to be stressful times for everyone. And, with so much stress to distract, it’s easy for your business to get forgotten or lost in the shuffle.
For many businesses, this means bringing their business online meaningfully. As we emphasized in our comprehensive guide on how to start a business,
Your website is one of your new business’s most important ambassadors and a crucial component of your marketing and branding strategy.
So, be sure to budget funds for marketing (and the cost to create a strong presence online) and do your best to stay in front of your customers. Here are a few ideas to get you started…
- Send regular, content-rich emails to the current customers on your mailing list. Be sure those emails consistently and properly reflect your company’s brand identity.
- Follow up with prospects who’ve ghosted you.
- Check in on the past customers you haven’t heard from in a while and make them a compelling offer to win back lost customers.
- Place online retargeting ads to draw prospects back in.
- Post consistently on social media and consider holding SM contests, sales, or events.
However you choose to reach out to your audience, be sensitive to the times. Make sure to show the real benefit you offer their lives in this current context. Keep your messaging relevant and your company’s brand identity front and center. After all, you don’t want your customers and prospects to forget about you.
And don’t push a hard sell. Read the room – money’s tight for everyone during a recession.
3. Protect your cash flow
Recessions lead to slimmer profit margins, making maintaining a healthy cash flow tricky.
So, let’s get uncomfortably real for a minute. If the cash flow dries up, your business will likely end.
So, to survive a recession, planning for ways to cushion your cash flow is essential.
Here are a few options:
Cut back on any unnecessary spending. Audit your current spending. Are there any services, memberships, or resources that your business can function without for a while? If so, then live without. Funnel that money back into necessary spending for your business. (Remember – marketing is necessary!) And look for lower prices for items on your “necessary” list.
Renegotiate vendor agreements with more favorable terms if possible. Remember that your vendors may be struggling to get by, too. They’d probably be happy to renegotiate the terms of your contract rather than lose out on your business entirely. See if they’re willing to give you a more competitive price 0r more flexible payment terms while the economy’s rough. You may also negotiate a discount for cash or early payments. You’ll never know unless you ask.
Arrange for financial assistance. Look into a small business line of credit. Apply to small business grants and small business loans to help keep you afloat. Timely financial assistance from small business loans like Kabbage could mean the difference between survival and going under. So, check out this list of the best small business loans and visit the Small Business Administration to learn about their funding programs.
And make sure you understand your cash flow situation. If you don’t have a firm grasp on the numbers, you won’t know how best to protect yourself.
4. Invest in your existing customers
It costs more to acquire new customers than to maintain existing ones. This is true even at the best of times.
But, during a recession, people clamp down on their spending – making it even harder to persuade a new customer to give you a try. So, investing in the customers you already have becomes even more important.
Now is the time to build real relationships with your customers. Show them that you have their back. Please treat them with respect and value their patronage with your actions.
As you navigate difficult times, your relationships with your customers can build lifelong customer loyalty. So, think of ways to make a meaningful, positive difference for your customers.
Need a great way to start? Talk with your support team to learn what issues they hear about most. Let your customers know that you’re prioritizing fixing those issues. Then do it.
And don’t forget about past customers. As we previously pointed out:
This might seem obvious, but past customers were once active customers.
A recession is a perfect time to re-engage with past clients.
5. Delegate and automate
In times of crisis, business leaders must steer the ship.
They have to be prepared to put out fires, make tough decisions, and plan strategically for the future based on today’s changing landscape.
It’s impossible to complete those high-level tasks if your schedule is filled with productivity-stealing mid-level tasks. If you’re preparing for or in a recession now, it’s time to start delegating.
Assess what tasks can be handed off to other employees. And determine if cost-effective automated solutions can complete repetitive tasks more efficiently than you or your staff.
Prioritize delegating the tasks that take the most time with the least financial return. But, try to clear your plate of any task that is not within your wheelhouse or yields little financial gain.
As a leader, time is one of your business’s most valuable resources. Ensure you reserve it for the tasks that will deliver the biggest positive impact on your small business.
Don’t give up
Running a small business during a recession is challenging. But a recession doesn’t have to spell the end.
Your small business must be agile and flexible to adapt to its new reality. If you plan, execute well, and keep your focus, you can recession-proof your business and come out stronger on the other side.
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