Jacksonville made global news today by announcing that the beaches would re-open just a few short weeks after they were shut down. It happened to be that the opening was on the same day that the state of Florida announced its highest daily positive test number. That's right: More than 1,400 Floridians tested positive on the same day our Mayor, Lenny Curry, decided to reduce restrictions and increase public gatherings.
For now, officials have attached a laundry list of arbitrary and confusing restrictions to the right to be at the beach, so we can assume that the rules will also be enforced through the arbitrary feelings of whatever officer happens to be around at the moment.
The mayor has reserved the right to cancel this order and re-close the beaches if and when he deems necessary, so at least he's left himself an out if it becomes too obvious that this was a bad move.
Unfortunately, as mentioned above, this move has caught the attention of national and international journalists alike. While people in other states and nations look on at our slow response, high infection rates, and high mortality rates with horror, they're not waiting to see if this was a bad decision or not.
Even if individuals at the beach can show some restraint and follow the guidelines for social distancing, it's likely that this will be one of the negative facts that Jacksonville is known for outside of North Florida. It certainly won't be helping our image for tourist business, and it may even cause Duval natives to be viewed suspiciously if they try to travel abroad.
Hopefully the fallout is minimal and Friday's numbers stay at the top of the record books for a long time.
Saturday, April 18, 2020
Sunday, April 5, 2020
Things won't be back to normal soon
While stay at home orders have increasingly impacted the ability of local Jacksonville businesses to make money, they're unlikely to be lifted any time soon. Some are hoping for a swift resolution and quick return to normal, but this type of unfounded optimism can be dangerous if it fails to prepare you for the reality that is coming.
Estimates from the United Kingdom's top colleges suggest that waves of infection outbreak will continue for as much as the next two years. Our best hope for a quicker resolution will require a vaccine is rapidly developed, and the soonest we can realistically hope for that will be in about 18 months from now. At worst, we'll probably be close to herd immunity in two years - but that means a lot of people will be dead, too.
How will your business survive? It is clear now that many of them won't. The economy we have on the other side of this will be radically different from the economy we started with. Small and medium sized firms of all types will be radically disrupted and many partners, suppliers, and customers won't be there anymore when the dust settles. Even if your business does survive, the ecosystem it existed in will be forever altered.
One tactic for retaining sales figures is to increase the focus on online conversions. After all, if your customers are anywhere right now, it's probably online. Increased internet sales may help to offset a reduction in sales at a physical location, but it will still be subject to the pressures caused by reduced consumer spending, lost wages, and general economic uncertainty.
Not all businesses can adjust to an online presence as the primary form of sales, but those that do so successfully will have a huge edge against those local Jacksonville businesses that don't.
And if your business absolutely cannot adapt to a new world of social distancing and intermittent stay at home orders, it might be time to think about shifting gears and setting up a new spin off that does.
While we won't be locked up inside our own homes forever, there's no old normal to go back to.
Estimates from the United Kingdom's top colleges suggest that waves of infection outbreak will continue for as much as the next two years. Our best hope for a quicker resolution will require a vaccine is rapidly developed, and the soonest we can realistically hope for that will be in about 18 months from now. At worst, we'll probably be close to herd immunity in two years - but that means a lot of people will be dead, too.
How will your business survive? It is clear now that many of them won't. The economy we have on the other side of this will be radically different from the economy we started with. Small and medium sized firms of all types will be radically disrupted and many partners, suppliers, and customers won't be there anymore when the dust settles. Even if your business does survive, the ecosystem it existed in will be forever altered.
One tactic for retaining sales figures is to increase the focus on online conversions. After all, if your customers are anywhere right now, it's probably online. Increased internet sales may help to offset a reduction in sales at a physical location, but it will still be subject to the pressures caused by reduced consumer spending, lost wages, and general economic uncertainty.
Not all businesses can adjust to an online presence as the primary form of sales, but those that do so successfully will have a huge edge against those local Jacksonville businesses that don't.
And if your business absolutely cannot adapt to a new world of social distancing and intermittent stay at home orders, it might be time to think about shifting gears and setting up a new spin off that does.
While we won't be locked up inside our own homes forever, there's no old normal to go back to.
Saturday, April 4, 2020
Jacksonville and Florida under stay at home orders
As the coronavirus spreads throughout the globe, we've found ourselves in a unique situation here on the first coast. For the first time since perhaps World War 2, extreme government orders have reduced and eliminated all economic activity and travel that isn't deemed essential to our vary survival.
Businesses across Jacksonville are reeling - but none have been as hard hit as those that rely on tourism and social events. Schools in Jacksonville also remain closed, so parents have reduced their travel and aren't stopping off for random purchases on the way to drop off and pick up their kids.
Businesses across Jacksonville are reeling - but none have been as hard hit as those that rely on tourism and social events. Schools in Jacksonville also remain closed, so parents have reduced their travel and aren't stopping off for random purchases on the way to drop off and pick up their kids.
The internet is still open for business
Just because life as usual has been disrupted doesn't mean people don't still need things from each other. While normal modes of business aren't as practical as they used to be, the internet is relatively unaffected by social distancing and stay at home orders. Websites can easily be updated from home and shipping channels remain open for trade.
SEO can be an important investment for businesses that are transitioning from walk in and word of mouth toward online sales. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization - and it refers to the process of maximizing the amount of organic traffic that websites receive on a regular basis. SEO can be achieved through a combination of increased content output, analyzing the structure and readability of existing content, and optimizing the promotion of the content through social media and other earned media channels.
Business across Jacksonville can benefit from putting their SEO strategy in to overdrive right now - largely because there isn't anything else going on in the economy right now. Many firms and corporations are likely to fail, but those who adapt will thrive!
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