Big Picture - October 2020 - 11

UPS AND DOWNS
After the first three months of the pandemic, most of the
country had entered the fatigue stage and we started to see
our business plateau. The phone calls and drop-ins started to
pick back up to almost normal, but we were still down about
30 percent in new business. The end of June and beginning of
July really started to slow down for us, and we began to see
some clients pull their spending back a little. It was almost as
if March had started all over again, which was a big surprise.
It was Groundhog Day Part Two. Our staff didn't know if July
4th weekend was the reason for the slow down or if the entire
mood of the country had started to decline. We weren't in
panic mode yet, but after three weeks of being slower than
ever the phones started to ring again, we were gaining new
customers, and we went back to being two weeks out on
projects in less than a month. Once again, our clients who
were still considered essential businesses were coming back
with more projects and wraps.
The month of August was great for us. We hope this
momentum will continue throughout the rest of the year. I'm
not here to brag or discuss the amount of work we've had,
but to give you an idea of the ups and downs over the past
seven months and how we've adapted. If you would've told
me back in March we would still be open and conducting
business after the economy was shut down I wouldn't have
believed you. I'm more of a pessimist, which, at times, can be
negative and positive. The year of 2020 has really taught me
that I'm not in control as much as I think I am. I can only
deal with what's in front of me and attack each day with a
new goal and positivity.

"fatigue" earlier, but people and businesses are ready to get
back to normal, even if they have been fortunate during this
rough year.
I recommend fi nding those in our industry who have been
affected by all of this. We wish no ill will on anyone, but
maybe your competition can't handle the work they used to,
or has had to unfortunately close their doors. Sit down with
your staff to re-evaluate what you can improve on as a team.
Try to figure out how much work or growth you can handle
with your existing staff and employees. We're prepared for the
end of 2020 and the first quarter of 2021 to be very profitable
because we acquired new business we didn't originally have.
I think our economy as a whole has performed fairly well,
all things considered. If we can weather this storm and make
it out alive, our future may be just a little easier. That's a sign
of optimism that I didn't have last year. I hope you and your
business continue to flourish, or that you're able to pull
yourself out of a hole that this unexpected year has placed you
in. Look ahead at what's to come. I think the entire graphics
industry will see greater growth than ever in the next six
months. Stay positive!

IDEALISTIC FUTURE
As I write this in the beginning of September, I still can't
believe it's already been seven months of having to change
course and adapt new procedures in order to stay in business.
We should all be prepared to plan with optimism moving
forward. I'm not an economist nor do I have a fi nancial
degree, but I truly feel once this pandemic starts to fade away
we will go back to a new normal. Although it's hard to really
say if the old normal is gone forever.
We've been communicating with our clients now more
than ever to see how the pandemic has been affecting their
businesses and to fi nd out what we can do to better serve
them. Surprisingly, most of our friends, existing clients, and
new clients are having record years. Most of the service
industry has been extremely busy. Not only have they
increased revenue, they're purchasing more vehicles to wrap
and hiring even more people. I realize that different parts of
the country are affected more than others, and a fair amount
of companies have even gone out of business for good. My
hope and optimism is that once we get back to our standard
lives, this economy will bounce back quicker than we expect.
Be prepared to adjust your workflow and production to
accommodate the increase of business. I believe personal
and business travel will ramp up quickly, and companies will
be spending more money to advertise any way they can.
When the economy gets slow, the smart companies with
cash flow will start to advertise even more. I used the word

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Big Picture - October 2020

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