Considering recent events, today’s post will take on a bit of a different flavor from my usual musings. Just after March 1st, I was notified that a conference I planned to attend on behalf of a client, as well as a couple of local networking events, were cancelled due to coronavirus concerns. At that point I was wrapping up a couple of client projects and looking forward to getting out of the office to reconnect with colleagues and make some new connections. (You can see a list of all these events and their current status at www.canosus.com/events.) I was at first disappointed about the event cancellations, but I figured I would put time to good use with content creation and other tasks related to running a small business. I started drafting a couple of blog posts, one related to product announcements originally planned for the previously cancelled MWC in Barcelona, and another regarding new product options for cord cutters.
Two days ago, my priorities changed. In that time, no less than five conferences I was scheduled to attend were cancelled or postponed (including 3 notices I received over email in a 5-minute span on Tuesday) and countless local networking events were shelved. Personal events were also impacted; my calendar for March and April went from busier than average to virtually empty. As an independent consultant, public events are critically important to me since much of my work product is often introduced at these events. Additionally, the face-to-face meetings with clients, prospects, colleagues and partners I have at these events is the lifeblood of building and sustaining my practice.
Since then, I quickly and easily unwound all the travel plans that took much longer to make, cancelled individual meetings I had scheduled during these events, and reached out to clients for project status updates. Like it or not, I am effectively self-quarantined whether I have been exposed to COVID-19 or not. Much of my work has stalled, and for how long is unknown. The tech industry has been through this before – in my career I have seen the effects of the Gulf War, Y2K, SARS, the 2008 financial crisis, and of course 9/11 to mention a few. No matter how we try to turn off the TV and social media to avoid the pile-on of bad news, one thing is inevitable: Work. Slows. Down. Often dramatically.
What to do now? We are far better prepared to deal with remote work than during prior periods of restricted travel. We have (relatively) high speed connectivity, cheap and easy-to-use communication and collaboration tools, and no shortage of both problem-solving talent and problems that need to be solved. Personally, I will continue to support existing clients while spending more time on content creation and business optimization so that I am better prepared to thrive when this social isolation comes to an inevitable end. If you have a specific topic you’d like me to cover – something in IoT, digital video, wireless or mobility or related sectors, send an email to jim@canosus.com and I’ll add it to my list.
The good news is that the tech sector has survived the previously noted global disruptions even stronger than before they appeared. The same is likely this time. The wise will use this pause to take time to refine their strategies, and the agile will spot an opportunity to be a first mover in new business – either perhaps creating the next unicorn. And now, back to work everyone!