What Does it Mean to Pivot in Small Business?

What do you do when life doesn’t go the way you planned? Sometimes it’s a flat tire or your flight getting canceled or a worldwide pandemic that made people say, “Remember when we used to go to… anywhere?”

One of the lesser-celebrated gifts in this world is one’s ability to pivot and make a smooth recovery when life throws a wrench in your well-thought-out plan.

Full disclosure: These types of quick pivots are not in my wheelhouse. I’m a planner. And I pride myself on being prepared for most situations, which is very useful for the many, many times that things go exactly according to plan in life. Which is to say, pretty rarely.

I’m envious of those people who get sucker-punched by life only to whirl around and head in a different direction, as if to give fate the finger and calmly mutter, “Is that all you got?”

Life Happens - and So Does Business

It’s like that in business too. If there are any business owners out there who can declare with 100 percent honesty that everything has run exactly according to plan since day one, please let me know so I can celebrate your unicorn-ness.

Diversions in business - big or small - are inevitable. A small diversion might mean a slight spike in your utility bill. If you owe 10 extra bucks to the electric company, find it in the lobby couch cushions and adjust next month’s budget.

On the other hand, a complete change in the market demand for your product or service could be a huge, unexpected diversion. If demand is lacking for the way you’re offering your product or service, even your richest friend’s couch can’t help you. But can you make an adjustment? Yes, a pivot is still possible.

The key is knowing when and how to pivot your small business to adapt and continue growing.

Real-World Pivots in Small Business

Let’s use COVID-19 as an example. The gym I used to run was built entirely around the community and a consistent class experience. Nothing hinders those two things more than not being able to let people physically walk through your front doors.

So I had to pivot my business model: Online classes, social engagement to connect and support the gym community, and doing whatever it took to stay connected. All of that was served up with the tortuous daily reminder that this is why we never, EVER work out alone when given the choice.

Another example is the way various restaurants adapted to the pandemic. Those that were forced to shut down and cried out, “Welp, we’re doomed” were in fact, doomed. Conversely, those who made a quick pivot and started promoting the hell out of their delivery or curbside pickup were crushing it.

Why Some SMB Pivots Work (and Others Flop)

Awhile back, I set out to re-launch my marketing company, a company that successfully helped small businesses all over the country with their marketing needs. As part of the relaunch, my plan was to do consulting for business owners and their teams. The goal was to help them build a strategy for being able to do the work themselves.

I saw my expertise and experience as the bridge many SMBs needed to pivot their business strategy and take their marketing (and sales, branding, communication, etc) to the next level.

At my very first meeting, I met with the prospective client and learned all about the business. They asked if they could skip the consulting and just have me do the work.

My second meeting was a repeat of the first, with the client asking how much it would cost if I just did the work, instead of teaching their team to do it.

By my third meeting, I beat them to the punch.

“I’m guessing you’d prefer that I do the work for you, instead of teaching you how to do it, right?”

Smiles and nods all around.

At that point, I could’ve set sail for pity party island, cussing the whole way and lamenting about why this wasn’t going how I expected. But truly, where would that get me? Instead, I only had one choice.

Say it with me in your best Ross Geller voice: PI-VOT.

Here’s the interesting thing: I actually greatly prefer to do the work myself instead of handing it off to the client to figure out. Yes, I can coach entrepreneurs to execute a strategy but for the most part, they won’t be passionate about the process because marketing isn’t why they opened their business in the first place.

Five Questions to Ask Before You Pivot Your Small Business

Whether you’re thinking about starting a business or you’re currently running one, being prepared is important, and being prepared to pivot is imperative.

Note that I’m not telling you to shut down your dentistry practice and go sell sandwiches. Instead, how can you meet the current needs of the market in the industry you’ve chosen to pursue?

Start with this quick list:

Have I done enough research to know that there’s a demand for my business idea?
Am I sure that this is what I want to spend my time doing?
Am I prepared to adapt to the market’s landscape if needed?
Am I prepared for a worldwide pandemic? (Just kidding… no one saw that coming).
If I do need to make a shift in my business plan, am I confident that there’s a demand for the way I’ve adapted and that this is what I want to spend my time doing?

Not Sure Where to Pivot First? Start with Your Content Strategy

Need help pivoting your small business with content? Whether it’s a new website, better email marketing, social media engagement or blogs that resonate, let’s chat.