Art of Business in 2020 and Beyond

ART OF

BUSINESS in 2020 and beyond…

Here’s a snappy list of 2020 business trends... in no particular order ... so read them all!

1. Mindfulness

Not exactly the same as meditation – it just means to be aware of your actions before and as you do them – consider what you are doing at all times! More #mindfulness apps have been, and will continue to be integrated into the working world.

2. Sustainability

Across fashion, across lifestyle, and across business – if it’s green and eco then it’s worth a try. #Reuse and #Recycle everything except ideas. This includes the continuing of more people working from home office.

3. Plastic-free

In support of #sustainability – Plastic has been an increasing problem that businesses are paying attention to, so introduce one thing each month to reduce your single-use plastic.

4. Grow 50 Shades of Grey Gracefully!

Through no choice of our own – we’ve had to ditch the dye in 2020, for either home dyes or allow grey hair to shine like little stars of wisdom – This has been a #hairtrend for a few years – even those not naturally grey are dying it that way – so embrace it for the office too!

Business Trends BLUSH | WINTER 2020 43 BLUSH | LEISURE & LIFESTYLE 5. Self Publish We’ve all got a book in us! If you’ve got industry expertise to share – just jot it all down, get it edited and #selfpublish for the world to read and learn from. 6. Deactivate Insta This trend has already been rolling out for some months, then during lockdown, Instagram was many a person’s best buddy – But still consider having a break from your Instagram newsfeed and just keep those #stories regular – they’ll have more impact and engagement. 7. Runway-to-Office Wear Choose a touch of #neon, block colour with other bold colours, and polka dots are back (which we saw last issue). Wear statement bright shoes paired with neutral two-piece suits. And opt for wearing outfits that can work for the office and with a little adjustment could be show-stopping at a party after work. See inspiration on page 55. 8. A.I. It’s likely that more Artificial Intelligence will be leaping literally into our businesses – improving customer experience and taking over the world (Do you think #AI will ever replace personal customer service? – Not a chance!). 9. E-commerce It has been a steady climb for shopping online over the years – but with all the retail options available combined with generally good delivery services, not to mention the periods of closure during times of restriction – this has been, and will continue to be the #shoppingtherapy of choice for most from now on. 10. Virtual Piggy Banks A controversial subject amongst many – but there will be a rise in those investing in #digitalcurrencies – they just may not shout about it, plus there have been rumours that soon the world will be cashless – sometimes feels like we are living in a science fiction movie! 11. Get Personal We’ve gone full circle with #communication – so it’s important to call, video group chat and email stakeholders directly – don’t just send out a bulk social media message or a generic newsletter, especially because face-to-face is dwindling. 12. Reviews Word of mouth can still work online and is the strongest way to promote your business – services and products – so get your clients to leave #reviews on your socials and on search engines. 13. Pass Me the Remote More people are going to be working remotely with flexible hours – remember to keep any of your #remote contractors or employees in the loop of communication and have scheduled face-to-face meet-ups even if that’s just via video call. 14. Gigging Along with remote working there has been an increase in businesspeople contracting projects out in the rising #gigeconomy – This is a great way to get niche experts involved to keep things fresh, and work according to individual project budgets. 15. Big for the Small Another controversial subject – but small businesses are likely to have access to #bigdata based on programmes created for niche industry. This is of course for those smaller enterprises that have managed to keep their heads above water in the fluctuating economy this year. 16. From ‘Let’s Booze’ to Less Booze! Booze and business? We’re referring to the parties and team-building events – It’s less about bubbles in your glass and more about #experiences such as Escape Rooms, or hiking, or even camping trips, virtual concerts or quizzes – and mostly opting for mocktails over cocktails. 17. The Culture Club Being #cultureconscious isn’t just about scheduling those festive get-togethers – it is looking at the day-to-day working lives and environment of the people in your business – and with the cultures having been rocked with homeworking, or furloughing and other restrictions this year, it will be a focus for many businesses. 18. Mentor Assigning #mentors within a business is usally reserved for those in new roles; but more business leaders are going to be seeking mentors external from their industry to support their more structured industry-specific training and to improve their internal working culture. The mentoring is also a great way for businesses to integrate back into the swing of things after the effects of most of this year. 19. Training Businesspeople globally will understand that #training in all areas of our lives is important – so doing that continual professional development course is one thing, but also add that yoga retreat or art break to your year plans, start a regular new hobby that expands the mind too. If you have staff, maybe introduce something into the working schedule that expands everyone’s skillset! 20. High-five In 2020, our download speeds have been faster and more Internet possibilities are always becoming available to us, and all at our fingertips in seconds thanks to the launch of #5G. Author: J P Martin There have been rumours that soon the world will be cashless Consider having a break from your Instagram newsfeed sevenstarmedia.co.uk