Navigating Uncertainty In The Times Of A Pandemic

‪As an entreprenuer, I have been grappling with strategic choices & tactical moves as a highly uncertain, fluid, and extraordinary situation faces all of us. Sharing some of my thoughts on this:‬

‪> Have your annual plan, but micro-plan for 3 months, & revisit this every week: Agility = Survival‬

‪> If your pessimistic scenario is x% revenues down, simulate at 1.5–2x and plan mitigation. Remember, we entrepreneurs suffer optimism bias‬.

‪> Cash preservation 💵 becomes the #1 objective. Scaling up may take a back seat. Keep a 12m runway — its a virulent world out there…‬

‪> Keep your senior team very close. It’s all hands on deck and sharp execution will save the day (hopefully) — all in step‬.

‪> Hard nosed look at ops efficiency & fixed costs. Now is the time to dig deep & look at uncomfortable nooks… And no, its not about just laying off ppl — be considerate, there are other buckets that will yield results‬.

‪> Rig up your workflow tech stack thoroughly — from sales force management, to supply chain dashboards, to your erp analytics — there’s much there you might rediscover. Of course, wfh over Zoom collaboration is a given. 👩‍💻 👨‍💻‬

‪> Keep your Board looped in through this — a short note every Monday or fortnight might be a good idea. Not just to avoid surprises, but some experienced board members can help you think 🤔 through‬.

‪> Finally, stay true to your Purpose — from not compromising on your product, to holding forth on your values. Remember, it is such testing times that will test real purpose in #PurposefulStartups. ‬

‪And of course- #KeepTheFaith 🙏🏻‬