'When I was a lad, there was a time we all had to wear masks!'

Well, what’s ahead for small businesses? The media has spent months reinforcing the idea that things will never be the same etc.

Well, obviously, that must be the case because our society was changing before the pandemic and will continue to do so, at rapid pace. Businesses have gone; I noticed on my walk to the bank this morning the coffee shop premises was up for sale. The lovely walk to the bank (it’s sunny today) was to pay in a cheque. Remember those? I’ve paid in two this month. Most have become familiar with card tapping and using Bank Transfers. Apparently, we were all going to work remotely. We have always worked remotely but the core business has taken place at our high street shop… meeting customers and making things like forms and flyers.

Teams are just that, teams, we work in teams. They have coaches/leaders who set targets, inspire staff, work the HR, share ideas. This process is so difficult over an internet line. We all need to be together, bonding, making eye contact, meeting at the coffee machine, arguing over who took the lunch from the fridge, arranging lunch breaks. My landlord popped in this morning with the rent letter, we chatted. Remember this stuff?

The pandemic will be something we can tell our grandchildren about. Like my Dad told me about rationing after the war.

Now, off to serve that customer that just walked in…