Steve McLellan, CEO, Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce
What is your key advice to small business owners for 2021?
Go to where the puck is going, not where it has been, and not where you may want it to be. While the original quote is a Great One, it still rings true. Our economy is moving online and continues to be in a constant state of transition.
For businesses, this means you must be digitally active, which means having your systems online and your products visible to your customers so that they can make a decision to buy on their schedule, not yours. For small businesses, this means better websites, more social media, and making responding to questions, sales, or requests sent to you an online top priority. For larger businesses, it means having the capacity to sell online and provide full details and benefits to the global market who are looking at your amazing digital presence if you have one (or else your competitors if you don’t).
This does not mean you need to look like Amazon, but it does mean you have to look alive, current, and ready to do business. Your most important front door is no longer the one with the sign and building number that is open 8-5 PM – it is the one facing the entire global market that is open 24/7, 365 days a year.
This idea is intimidating for most businesses, so relax and take it one step at a time – but do move forward. Don’t be afraid to get help, either from the company across the street or across the country. Don’t try to do it yourself unless you have the skills and the time. And you probably don’t have the time, or else you would have done it already.
Go get the puck.
