Why our business is thriving under lockdown

  • Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa

Author:  Sid Peimer

Short Description

Why is a 216-year-old voluntary member-based organisation like the Cape Chamber of Commerce thriving under lockdown? It shouldn’t – when times get tough, members will look at their expenses and cut those that are ‘voluntary’. People tend to pay their utilities, because if you don’t pay, you don’t get to play. And heaven forbid we […]

Why is a 216-year-old voluntary member-based organisation like the Cape Chamber of Commerce thriving under lockdown? It shouldn’t – when times get tough, members will look at their expenses and cut those that are ‘voluntary’.

People tend to pay their utilities, because if you don’t pay, you don’t get to play. And heaven forbid we shouldn’t have Netflix. You must have electricity to watch TV (renewable energy debates aside), so that account tends to get settled. Unfortunately, we also don’t ‘see’ the costs of reducing and cancelling insurance and investments, but I guess, if you need food, you need food.

Back to the topic of why the Chamber is thriving amidst this pandemic. I was told that it was because I have foresight. I deny this vehemently. If anyone can prove extrasensory powers, they could have collected the million-dollar prize from the Amazing Randi, but that fund was terminated in 2016.

Although nobody saw it coming, don’t despair, there’s another 25 prizes currently available around the world varying from $5 000 to $250 000 for proof of extrasensory powers. So until clairvoyance is proven, we can safely assume I don’t have those powers. That brings us back to the big question: why is the Chamber thriving? The answer is relatively simple. We’re thriving because of a strategy I call ‘shotgun innovation’.

It works like this: if there’s an inherent advantage to the introduction of any innovation – be it tangible technology or intangible culture – and it places no extraordinary strain on your budget, then you have no choice but to implement it. Although accountants may balk at my method to determine ‘extraordinary strain’, this is what I use: if I say to myself “Hmmm, we could afford that”, then it’s a go.

Why our business is thriving under lockdown

So here is why I believe we’re thriving in the first few months of lockdown. But let me be expressly clear, every brand out there has a bullet with its name on it – no one is totally protected from the vagaries of the market. And the Chamber, being a B2B organization, depends on there being a private sector to support and vice versa.

So, firstly an example of a tangible innovation. We used to allow staff to purchase desktops. I’m not sure if there is any advantage to a desktop other than the fact that you won’t leave it behind in the restaurant ‘after a few’. We stopped that practice and staff were migrated onto a laptop when their ‘old faithful’ had its chips (get it – chips?).

There was no overriding reason to do it, other than the fact that laptops looked cuter and allowed you to work remotely. As things turned out, having the staff move from stationary desktop to portable laptop paid dividends – it allowed us to set up for remote operations within 24 hours of lockdown. That’s shotgun innovation for you.

Next an intangible example. I wanted to drive an innovative mindset. I had this vague notion that innovation (not knowledge) was the new competitive currency. Don’t ask me why, I just did. So I came up with this quote that I shared widely within the organization: “If no one dies, the risk is acceptable”. It sent an unambiguous message that tomorrow better not look like today. So when we migrated to remote working, we could focus on not only maintaining the client value proposition, but expanding on it.

It helps that we’ve kept costs level for five years translating into a selling price that equates to a packet of crisps per day to get you all the benefits of the Chamber. And if I put it like that, cancelling your membership is not the wisest thing to do – your business needs all the help it can get – and for that price, you get 30 full-time champions and 100 volunteers hosting you at 200 events per annum. And that’s just one of the 25 benefits.

But I’m turning into a salesperson now, which is not my intention. On second thoughts, I do want to sell you something: the practice of shotgun innovation. Think of it as an investment. If a monkey with a dartboard can outperform humans in the equity market, then the more darts you have on the board on the day of reckoning, the greater the chance of a higher score. As Woody Allen says: “90% of success is just showing up”. Unless you have clairvoyant powers.

Contact Us at WeSpeak Global and follow us on Facebook

Read further articles in similar categories

The articles, video and images embedded on these pages are from various speakers and talent.

These remain the property of its owner and are not affiliated with or endorsed by WeSpeak Global.

Similar to Why our business is thriving under lockdown

WS Logo 512

According to leadership guru Warren Bennis, “leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.” Rugby and Leadership captains have that innate ability to do just this, Rugby and leadership go hand-in-hand . Here in South Africa we have witnessed numerous leaders connected to the sport of rugby who have displayed such qualities. I have […]

  • Author: Dr Dean Allen
Brittany Hodak

I’m coming to you from 30,000 feet, on my way to join my friend Jeff Glover for the LiveUnreal Retreat in Traverse City, Michigan. I can’t wait to see some familiar faces and meet more amazing real estate agents after my Customer lesson learned. You know when someone references how long ago something happened and you […]

  • Author: Brittany Hodak
WS Logo 512

Kevin Gaskell seems to be meeting more and more people in business at the moment who are concerned that the economy is a bumpy ride and unpredictable.  You can certainly feel a lot of turbulence in the air; Brexit, Trump, FX rates, inflation, Russia, Middle East, fake news etc. The truth is that if you […]

  • Author: Kevin Gaskell
David Avrin

Stop shoving Do-it-Yourself Options  technology on your customer that serve you, but not them!   I drop in to my local Wells Fargo branch to get a document notarized and the teller at the counter directs me to scan the QR code on the poster nearby to get on their “digital waiting list.” I say […]

  • Author: David Avrin
Kim Lear

While The Future of Optimization has permeated our culture at large, it is Gen Z that has grown up in era when technology has enabled them to optimize everything from their sleep and their workouts to their study habits and even their intellect. Last year, I interviewed executives who work in the vitamin division of […]

  • Author: Kim Lear
Brittany Hodak

How your company’s career page is deterring candidates from applying. Every employee at your company can make or break a customer’s experience. That’s why it’s so important to ensure employees not only understand your company’s story, but also how they fit into it. Why does your company exist? Is there alignment between your stated mission, vision, and […]

  • Author: Brittany Hodak
WS Logo 512

Doing good for customers is something that is inherently right. I admire purpose-driven companies.  They have a strong commitment to a noble cause that helps them avoid the pitfalls of short-termism and significantly do good for society in some way. Whatever a company’s purpose, I believe that those with integrity ensure that the golden thread […]

  • Author: Samantha Hillion-Burns

Let’s be honest, when it comes to sex, sexual intimacy and relationships, there are multiple views as to what is acceptable, how many times a week we should be doing it, how many partners we have had in the past and whether we should disclose this or keep our skeletons in the closet.   Statistics […]

  • Author: Paula Quinsee

Our Mission

We are your partner creating memorable and engaging experiences that go beyond the event itself.

© All rights reserved 2025. Created using VOXEL THEME