How a Shift to Digital Led to Covid-19 Success
I don’t know if it’s the longer days and glorious sunshine, the recent Canada Day celebrations, or the fact that Canada seems to be doing remarkably well (relatively speaking) when it comes to our Covid-19 strategies and recovery plans – but I’m feeling all the love today, folks.
And I’ve been thinking about these spaces I’ve created: “I'm a Millionaire. So Now What?” and the blog, even my Elevated Conversations virtual dinner parties. These spaces were created to be all about you – platforms where you can be unapologetically wealthy – and so that I can share your inspirational stories, and provide practical strategies and fun, frank advice.
The support that we have built in the Self Made Nation community is a priceless commodity, and something I’m so proud of. Because, let’s face it, who are the best people to lift you up when you’re down, or provide actionable advice when it’s need, if not other entrepreneurs and business leaders who have already been through all of the above and more!
These times are strange to say the least. But, passion, purpose, grit and determination will help the Self Made Nation - us entrepreneurs, leaders and business owners - get through the “what’s next” of Covid-19.
Virtual is the New Reality
Let’s go back to Elevated Conversations for a sec. I started the series as an actual, real-life dinner party - a small circle of entrepreneurs who would explore and speak about topics of financial, technological and other visionary possibilities. All of a sudden BOOM. Global pandemic. I’m not going to lie, my initial thought was “Well, there goes that idea.”
But then, a month or so into this thing, as we were getting more and more comfortable with new ways of doing business, it was like a light went off. I can DO THIS ONLINE! Seems so obvious now, doesn’t it? But this was early days, before Video Conferencing became the “virtual connection” that is so ubiquitous today.
Which brings me to this week’s episode of “I’m a Millionaire. So Now What?” I’ve been catching up with some past guests, to find out how they’ve been coping, and what they're doing to keep their companies afloat and the economy moving.
This week, I reconnected with Pete Dillon, President of BigTime Productions. An actor AND entrepreneur, he literally mixes “Show” and Biz.”
He’s entertained hundreds of thousands of people all over the world with Murder Mystery productions, and took the business virtual, to Zoom, when Covid-19 hit. And guess what? It worked!
If You Build it, They Will Come
“Stay at home” orders and online shopping go hand in hand, so it’s no surprise that e-commerce numbers are through the roof. As of April, the US and Canada combined saw e-commerce orders climb to an impressive 129 percent year-over-year growth, and overall, online shopping increased by 146 percent. I’m sure the numbers today are even higher.
It’s clear that the companies succeeding in this economically uncertain climate are doing so because they embraced a new way of doing business. The shift from Bricks and Mortar, to Clicks and Mortar!
In the case of Pete Dillon, he transformed his entire way of doing business using the Zoom platform. By taking the murder mystery genre online, his story today is about how a global pandemic ended up taking his company from a fairly regional scope to a worldwide scope. All because he was willing to step out of his comfort zone and take a few risks.
Here’s some of what Pete had to say.
What Do You Mean, Bring Toilet Paper??
“There was plenty of doom and gloom, that was shocking. We were absolutely devastated. I was away on vacation on March 12. Before I came back, I had friends saying, ‘Listen, bring toilet paper!’ and I'm like, ‘What are you talking about - this doesn't make any sense. What the h*ll happened?’ [Then] Saturday, the 14th of March, we had a sold-out show. And I thought, ‘We're going to hang in there just as long as everybody else!’ And then suddenly the National Arts Centre said, ‘Right, we're not doing this any longer. We're going to pull the plug here and some other theaters did as well.’ And we realized that we really had to take this much more seriously. And we did. We hit the pause button on our shows. And then said, ‘Now what?’ And it was very devastating! We became a zero-revenue business in the blink of an eye, and we asked our ticket holders to hang tight as we tried to navigate our way through this. We can't wait to get back to performing live, but we really did find, you know, a diamond in the rough with our Zoom mystery.com concept.”
Has Your Mindset Changed, from Lockdown to Now?
“The devastation lasted for probably two days. I was really seriously concerned. I'm an optimist, through and through, and I just knew that we had to find a different way to go about doing things. I've been able to look at this as a really positive challenge and build upon it. It's been difficult because I have to go back to creating every template, documenting every step. So, it's been very challenging from that perspective. But I have to look at it like ‘This is going to be so great!’ And every show we're doing is better and better and better. So, we're really left with such a great product. I feel great about it. I feel bad for others whose businesses have been devastated and they haven't been able to see it as a challenge and take advantage of the opportunity to create a new venture for themselves. I feel terrible for them.”
Inspiration and Motivation?
“People are very open minded about what the future holds and how we're going to be operating. For the most part you have this whole new work-from-home workforce saying, ‘Great, that's what I'm going to do and I'm going to consider my work life balance.’ I'm inspired by the fact that businesses much larger than mine have found a way to get through this and be successful. Sometimes it's difficult, you’ve got to rally the troops and stay optimistic, but the upside is huge. I really have to remind myself from time to time about how big this can be. We went from being a regional company working out of Ottawa and Toronto. This morning, on top of Ottawa and Toronto, I was handling inquiries from Halifax, Ireland, the UK, from India! And considering the different time zones, there's so many different show slots that we can produce a show. Then multiply that! Before the COVID hit us, I was managing 50 actors and stage managers in Ottawa, and Toronto, and they all want to work…so there’s a huge upside.”
The digital space has opened so many doors, for so many employees and businesses. Are you one of them yet? I would love to know! You can drop me a line here.
And I hope you’ll take a few minutes and have a listen to the podcast itself.
Plus, if you are craving like-minded conversation with growth-oriented business owners, consider joining me and eight other business owners, investors and entrepreneurs for our next edition of Elevated Conversations taking place (virtually!) in September (details pending).
Our last topic was an ode to gathering! You can learn more about it - and register for future sessions - here!
“I’m a Millionaire. So Now What?” is brought to you by Double to Sell - Canada's Premier Invitation-ONLY workshop for business owners wanting a cash-rich exit in 10 years or less. For more information, or to register, please visit the “Double to Sell” website.