To say that the pandemic was a game-changer for me is an understatement.  But not in the way that you may think.  And the word "Pivot" will likely be etched in the minds of brick and mortar studio owners for a long time to come. I did pivot and close my brick-and-mortar studio and take my business online, but that was something I had been secretly wanting to do for a while.  I wanted more location freedom, less overhead, and a way to support my clients to grow in their movement practice at home.

The call to PIVOT your business and shift your in-person services online or create new products and programs meets the temporary need for physical distancing. But it also offered an opportunity for brick and mortar businesses to envision a new approach to delivering your services with location freedom and a worldwide market.

I know many movement professionals and wellness practitioners that have made the quick shift to transfer their in-person services online.

For some people, this switch has gone relatively smoothly and has allowed them to continue serving their clients and keep revenue coming into their business. For others, switching to virtual is challenging. They struggle to replicate aspects of their in-person work that do not transfer well to virtual, or they are unsure of how to create the same value virtually as they did in person. 

Whatever camp you are in, it is clear that virtual delivery is here to stay for the time being and will change the landscape of how we do business in the future.

So how can you approach your pivot online NOW to stay grounded in the value of your work and continue to create and evolve a sustainable business structure going forward?

So what is the best way to pivot online now to sustain your business? And how can the metaphor of the pivot guide your strategy to make the temporary shifts that also support you to evolve your business long term?

Let’s look at what a PIVOT is. 

A PIVOT, in movement terms, is a rotation around an axis. The pivot is a change of direction, but around a GROUNDED AXIS. And the central AXIS of the PIVOT is PIVOTAL. The person performing the pivot is shifting around an axis to align to a different point on the circle. 

To perform a pivot, you first ground into our core, then shift your eyes and focus on the direction you would like to pivot, and then move your body to align to your focus.

This metaphor can help you during times of change by guiding the sequencing of your strategy in alignment with your core purpose and long-term goals. How do you PIVOT on your AXIS to both sustain and evolve your business?

1) Stay grounded and connected to your physical core, your energy, and your practice.

• Deepen your practice, keep breathing and moving and stay healthy in mind and body so you can have a clear account and continue to bring your best self to your life and business. 

2) Anchor into your core purpose- align your values, mission, and purpose. 

• Get grounded in your core purpose, so you continue to anchor into what you value and the impact you want to create so you continue to take action in alignment with what you want to create.
• How can you deepen your purpose by expanding your potential market and impact online?
• Continuing to stand in the creator's shoes will keep you in an empowered place and allow you to continue to lead and serve others at your highest level.

3) Hone in on your core value equation to align your messaging and service to the evolving needs of your clients?

• How are the core problems that you solve for your clients the same, and how have new issues or goals emerged during this time? Is there a unique niche that you could tap into online?
• How can you shift the messaging of offers you already have in place to meet the new and evolving needs of your clients?
• How can you position your online services as a “new” level of service rather than a replacement for in-person work to leave space to both evolve online work as part of your model and return to in-person work in a new way?

4) Create a Core Strategy to shift your evolving business structures to BOTH sustain your business during the pandemic and to evolve and grow your model to move you towards your long-term goals. 

• What new business systems, structures, and service models can you create now that will sustain your business and keep you moving towards your goals?
• And how can you evolve a long-term business strategy that leverages your online work to elevate your in-person work?

With these points in mind, anchor into the bigger question of the pivot:

How can you BOTH allow your strategy to PIVOT while you stay grounded in your AXIS? How can you can powerfully co-create the evolving new normal in a way that deepens your purpose and leadership, expands your impact, and sustains and evolves your business?

How can you pivot in a way that allows you to stay the course AND navigate the changing path?

All the best,

Dawn