Life after Corona

It doesn’t matter if you’re a start-up, scale up, unicorn or global corporate – everything is changing.

The next decade (post Corona) will be a thrilling ride characterised by dizzying transformations in business, technology and productivity. Old business models will become increasingly redundant, traditional markets will become increasingly vulnerable to smart, creative challengers and new commercial vistas will be opened up by radical new business visionaries. Most importantly, we are going to see a rise in the collective consciousness of human beings (and business) to make the world a better, fairer and safer place for everyone. 

Companies will no longer be able to stand on the side lines. Issues on everything from the environment, sustainability, public safety, social issues and so forth will become important factors in the way brands show up in sectors as varied as financial services, healthcare, technology, tourism and retail. 

And throughout it all, we’ll all be changing – as parents, business professionals, consumers, entrepreneurs and most of all as human beings. In many ways our success or failure will be determined by our ability to adapt and surf this tsunami of change. No one will be able to keep abreast of it all – just to stay slightly behind the curve will be enough of an achievement. 

History teaches us that post-crisis periods are always characterised by intense technological progress and a recasting of our ideas about how we relate to each other and the world we live in. Our moment in history is no different, the same fundamental human desires – for safety, for self-expression, for acceptance, for knowledge, for stories, for a life worth living – will continue to drive our actions in the next decade and beyond. 

We know success is dependant on our ability to change, grow and adapt. One of the ironies of our existence is our resistance to this change – our innate tendency towards rejection, scepticism and negativity when confronted with the new. 

The Corona virus has made us all stop and think. It’s impact on a global scale will be far reaching. It’s impact in the medium to long term, I believe, will be fundamentally positive. 

Business has always been about human beings, although in recent decades we’ve lost sight of the purpose of business. Maybe back in the 70’s Freidman’s, ‘profit at all cost’ view was acceptable, but in this new world, business as a force for good will take centre stage. That’s not to say companies must all of a sudden become purpose driven, but they must take stock of the world we live in and the role they wish to play. This is not just about people, planet and profits; this is about business as it’s meant to be; interesting, fun, aspirational, meaningful and yes with a positive impact on employees, consumers and the world at large.

I’ve been championing a more human approach to business and marketing for as long as I can remember. For those B2B CEOs, Founder and marketing leaders capable of seeing beyond the next 6 months there is a brave new world to play in. But the rules of this new world are fundamentally different. 

1: Put people (not products) first. Employees, customers, society at large.

2: Recognise the truth that people don’t simply want to buy from you anymore, they want to buy into you.

3: Believe that your B2B brand and everything you stand for is your biggest competitive advantage and driver of equity and growth.

4: Be authentic. Be interesting. Be meaningful. Be relevant.

5: Stand up, stand out and stand for something.

In my view, the secret of success is to acknowledge the necessity for change and then to make it into something that’s fun, exciting, revealing and intriguing. To embrace the challenges of a better life (after Corona) and not get left behind. 

We’re human after all

Stay safe everyone and please share this article if you like it.

C'mon B2B we've got this.

All opinions are my own.

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