Covid-19 has profoundly changed the way we work. I was just finding my way as a entrepreneur when this all hit. Eight months into “the new normal” I am reflecting on the changes Covid-19 has had on my own business. In many ways this new reality is what I had hoped for – flexible, remote, and allows me to scale my business much faster than before.

There are 5 major changes to my work I’d like to acknowledge:

No Travel! 🌎

Zoom is the new boardroom and this means I can book multiple clients or seminars in a day, in different provinces, and still be home to cook dinner and sleep in my own bed. Before, travel was almost a given and aside from a few unique circumstances it meant I would travel to the client. I had travel allowances baked into my pricing model, where as now, I don’t have to worry about that.

Have internet, can work! 👍

Flexible work; means flexibility of where I work. This summer I spent 8 weeks at the cottage. Unthinkable this time last year, but I don’t think I’ll ever go back. It was also handy as my parents could help with childcare leaving me the time I needed to work for others. Really as long as I have wifi I can work from anywhere. I am not selling my house in Toronto or leaving for trip to Bali. No, actually I am a home body. But as the kids get older I can see a future where I might spend a month or more renting house somewhere warm or near a mountain while working and teaching.

Getting dressed now means from the neck up! 👩‍🏫

A nice shirt, blow-dry, and make-up is all that is required. While I miss head-to-toe dressing what matters when I am on calls is not that my shoes match my top. It’s nice to not have this distraction because what matters most now is the message I deliver.

I’ve lowered my prices!🤑

That’s right. I can offer better prices now because I don’t need to factor in travel to clients or the shoes to match the top (wink). This has spurred new interest in professional development seminars at small and mid-size businesses who otherwise wouldn’t have had budget. It also means people can see my value based on my time vs. the other things that I needed to bake in before such as childcare if it was a night event or a day I didn’t have my girls in daycare. These are not costs I need to pass on and so it’s only fair to lower my prices. I think in this climate people are very budget conscious as we don’t know what’s around the next Covid-19 corner.

Virtual teaching in higher education rocks! 🙌

As many of you know I teach at Centennial College, Guelph-Humber and McMaster. While I do miss in person teaching for the connections you get with students. I like many other things about teaching online. It has accelerated the use of technology in the classrooms I reason by 10 years in 8 months. For example I was able to put together a full AMA Q&A video lecture with Flipgrid about media sales and I use Metimeter for reflection. I’ve heard from many students who love the flexibility of my pre-recorded lectures using Zoom and that they learn better without the sensory distractions of the classroom. What’s not to like?