5 Business Skills To Help Entrepreneurs Succeed During A Pandemic

Since the pandemic, many businesses have found themselves in a new global landscape that demands unique skill sets. As many stumble their way towards normalcy, workplaces won’t be the same as strategies evolve. To keep up, leaders and employees must master the below 5 must-have post-pandemic skills.

1. Pivoting Quickly 

Even before the pandemic, business life was changing quickly. New technologies, research, and data kept us constantly on our toes. But now, businesses have to pivot quicker than ever before. The newly rapid pace of workflows call for adaptive and flexible entrepreneurs with an open mindset who are capable of working under pressure while multitasking. 

2. Tech Savvy

This period doesn’t only mean investing in technology, but also understanding it. In combination with remote proficiency, having some knowledge of specific platforms, tools, concepts, and online applications like eFax would be beneficial to become independent. This includes understanding data science, artificial intelligence, as well as the mastering of tools like Slack, Asana, Zoom, and others to foster collaboration, communication, and teamwork. 

3. Communication

Human connection and communication is at the base of any workplace. With social distancing and remote work in place, it’s crucial more than ever to demonstrate empathy for others’ emotions and behaviors. Emotional intelligence is a must. Clear communication cements trust and increases production levels. 

4. Leadership

During good times, it’s simple for leadership to sail to where they want to go, but it’s when a storm hits that true leaders shine. Great leaders communicate their vision and strategy clearly while motivating everyone around them to do their best work while overcoming barriers. Being self-aware and holding yourself accountable are also critically important assets. Great leaders are also problem solvers who don’t settle for ‘good enough.' They proactively develop practical resolutions while striving for an ideal. 

5. Creativity and Innovation

There is no handbook that explains how to overcome the lengthy global pandemic. It’ll take creative minds to experiment and develop innovative solutions to steer a business through opportunities and challenges that it may face.

From a young age, Mike had countless dreams of developing futuristic technological designs including what he called bulletproof “Vannoken body armor” to handy hunting inventions. To fulfill his dream, he needed to learn physics and different subfields of engineering.

After serving in the United States military, Mike enrolled himself into Full Sail University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing. He started an international marketing firm in the comfort of his home to gain entrepreneurial experience while raising money for his technological ideas.

Afterwards, he enrolled into the University of York, where he studied physics through the OpenPlus program while running his marketing firm at the same time, to fund his education while providing for his family. 

In 2018, Mike Norton founded a technological engineering firm, called Wolven Industries. He set the mission of the company to ‘repair, protect, and prepare families against modern-day threats.’ 

With that mission in mind with his military past, Mike initially planned to develop technology for the US military, NATO, and private military contractors through custom contracts.

...but then, the pandemic struck.

The essence of entrepreneurship is identifying an unmet need and filling that gap quickly to launch a valuable product to market. Mike has captured this very essence by pivoting his company’s technological direction in response to COVID-19. 

He and his team of physicists and engineers saw the pandemic as a grand opportunity to build something for civilian society: a handheld LED-based electronic device for disinfection using UV-C technology.

Thanks to its germicidal properties that can effectively kill 99.99% of all pathogens, UV-C light has been around since the 1800s in many industries, including hospitals, water treatment plants, and food manufacturers.  

Wolven Industries is aware that basic UV cleansers aren’t new and that there is a market sector that is filled with them. However, Mike discovered some are not even using the right UV type. Some companies outsourced part development to developing countries to cut cost and the expense of quality.

He then questioned the current safety features. Bear in mind that UV-C light can lead to burns, eye damage, and even cancer if mishandled. 

Having identified that the market was filled with questionable UV-C devices, Mike decided to develop one that would be more powerful and genuinely useful than other cheaper, mass-market devices while ensuring the operator’s maximum possible safety. 

The Idea Was Set, But What Happened Next? 

Building the business during the pandemic came with a multitude of challenges. Wolven Industries experienced varying delays of distance, funding, and political obstacles. 

But instead of waiting for every development detail to come in, Mike maintained a gritty, resilient attitude. Having already become accustomed to a life of trauma and abuse, he pushed forward to continuously educate himself and evolve his skills. 

All of the above, gave him the freedom to begin the rapid prototype of any new technological products from his house!

Mike’s polymathic abilities and lifelong learning philosophy of self-actualization combined with his communication, leadership, decision-making, and problem-solving skills, have empowered him to innovate a totally new kind of UV-C Cleanser, the uRay, despite herculean obstacles in his way.

What can you learn from his story that can help you push forward with your own?