Planning and foresight in the midst of this madness

So here I sit in the middle of this craziness, trying to think of my next print topic to write about. And guess what, I can’t think about printing. I can’t think about much. Who would have thought we would be living in an episode of The Twilight Zone?

I’m at a loss for words – which is something I’m definitely not accustomed to. Why? Because the world is changing right in front of us and my mouth is hanging open – but not for long! This is where we sit – but hopefully for a moment only, when our minds get the best of us, and all we see is the bad and the ugly. But what about the good? That’s what I want to talk about. And no one said this was going to be easy. I’m asking you to pause for a moment and listen to what I’m saying.

The good in this frustrating pandemic waiting game, for the first time that I know of, is a real “reset” on all fronts for virtually everyone in this industry. Our first reset starts at home where most of us are spending time with our families for a long period – which most of us don’t do other than during a vacation.

The second restart is you. This is where you take some time to think about yourself, what you really want to do, and what really makes you tick. The third and perhaps the most important on another level is your business. What are you going to do, and when? Right now you have the time to jot down all the things you like and don’t like about your business. And I mean everything – people, services, equipment, technology, and yes, your clients. Don’t worry – no one has to see your notes.

And remember not to overlook all those “gut feelings” that you had (and now have) regarding everything about your business. Are they still relevant today and will they continue to guide you as we move beyond this pandemic? Right now (during this social distancing) is the ideal time to press your restart button.

This is when you get to do everything (or almost everything), and more importantly plan ahead so you can make the moves you want. It’s not easy. You may have to layoff that employee(s) that doesn’t add value to your business, implement a new cost structure, or think about adding new services. You may wish to abandon old methods and processes that always seem to lead to headaches, or even graciously let to go of clients who invariably cause you more problems and headaches that they’re worth.

Stay positive

At press time, Canada’s confirmed cases of the COVID-19 virus were surpassing 69,000, with more than 4,800 deaths linked to the global pandemic. However, through all this fear and uncertainty, I believe what’s most important is to remain positive. It’s so important that when you restart, you feel good, guilt-free and absolutely confident about your decisions. Your future vision must crystal clear.

And your plan should, at the very least, be a blueprint or an easy-to-follow roadmap moving forward. What will your business – and our society – look like after the pandemic and beyond? What continuing adjustments will you have to make? I truly believe that, as difficult as life is right now, there is indeed a “light at the end of the tunnel.” And that light never goes out – ever. At the end of each day, that’s what really keeps us going. And remember that even after even the most ferocious of storms, often comes a rainbow. Please feel free to reach out to me for whatever reason.

Warren Werbitt

A passionate printing industry veteran of 28 years (and passionate fisherman), Warren Werbitt will continue to ‘troll’ the industry, focussing on important and often controversial issues that impact printers. He can be reached at warren.werbitt@gmail.com.