Lisa Trank’s Biz Mix: Is it Time to Reinvent? Some ideas on how to weather the economic roller coaster

Lisa Trank Biz Mix

I’ve been thinking about a great deal lately about reinvention. Not the wheel, or the perfect mousetrap, but how a business, employee or job searcher stays competitive, in business and in demand during a rough economic patch, like we’re experiencing today. In the last week, I’ve read about two local businesses shutting their doors, and the closing of

Longmont’s local Kmart in what amounts to probably about 150 people in our community who will now join the already too large unemployment rolls.

How does a business keep its doors open and products in demand? How does an employee create more job security? How does the job seeker rise above the teeming competition? There are lots of answers, but one that makes a great deal of sense is reinvention.

Times like the ones we’re in and the ones we might still be facing take an iron will, stomach and good shoes in order to stay strong, but they also require flexibility, risk taking and the ability to see beyond the way we’ve been doing business, looking for work or doing our job. To break this down a bit further:

Business Owners: Reinvention can be simply trying a new way to deliver a familiar service. If you’ve been relying on electronic forms of communication, try picking up the phone, or sending a postcard. Collaborate with the store next door and see what kind of common buzz you can create, all the while sharing resources and business-to-business support. Empower your employees to take on new skill sets that will benefit their professional development, as well as your bottom line in enriching your labor force.

Employees: As well as being grateful for having a job, and hopefully having a stable job, make sure you’re continuing to keep pace with your industry and do ongoing assessments of your skills, education, certifications and associations. If you lack an area you’d like to pursue, approach your employer and see if that new skill will also bring value to their business. Chances are it will and your employer will see you as an employee worth investing in.

Job Seekers: It is a tough market out there, with too many of you and too few of them, meaning jobs. If you’ve been looking in a specialized field and not getting placed, it might be time to check in with a career counselor who can assess your education, skills and experience. Just having that outside eye could be the thing to propel you toward taking your past work experience and pursuing another direction. There are lots of free resources to help you with this, including Colorado Workforce, who can also assist you with re-training opportunities that could financial underwrite, or at least supplement your new career path.

The point of reinvention is not to throw the baby out with the bathwater. It’s a way to stay in the center of your professional universe when the rest of the world seems to be spinning out of control. Reinvention can be just the ticket to opening new doors, re-engaging old customers or just simply taking a new, and improved, look at your professional development. Chances are, the steps you take toward reinventing yourself in challenging times will reap personal and professional rewards that will carry you forward in all kinds of economic environments, good, bad and in-between.

Lisa Trank is owner of One Purpose PR & Communications, a sustainable public relations, social media and communications firm founded in 2007. Lisa has called Longmont home for close to 10 years and is thrilled to be running her business and raising her family here.