It’s been a year since The Mover went 100% digital.  At the time it was received with despair by some and rejoicing by most.  I was always certain that it was the right decision as it gave us much more flexibility in the way we delivered the magazine and the type of content we could include, and I hoped that we made the jump at the right time. Looks like we did.

As the world settles into a tailspin of COVID-19 trauma, the value of our digital format has come clearly into focus.  As most magazines in the industry continue to be delivered in hard copy by post, often now to unmanned offices, The Mover goes right to you, by e-mail, online and via the app to your phone.  You don’t need to find the magazine, the magazine will find you, wherever you might be: self-isolating or not. And the format allows us to include links to important documents and websites, podcasts and videos, none of which we could have done in the old format.  Was it the right time?  I should say so: better lucky, than skilful.

There are phases in periods of stress.  They range through anger, fear and, eventually, to acceptance. It’s during the acceptance period that people start to take a different view.  Released from the minute-by-minute firefighting of running a seasonal business at its height, many will take the opportunity to reflect and to work on the business, rather than in it. They will consider the future, what will be different, what they need to do and what services their customers will need. In short, they plan. And it is while people are planning, often now in the comfort of their homes and without so many distractions, that decisions are made. That’s the time when your business needs to be foremost in their thoughts.

So, rather than see The Mover as a welcome distraction from the daily hubbub, I see it differently right now. It’s an opportunity for some quiet reflection, a necessary companion at a time of isolation (physical and emotional) and a catalyst that might just spark the germ of an idea that makes a difference to what happens next.

Keep reading, keep communicating and keep promoting your services. This will not last forever and, when the starting piston sounds again, it will be those set firm on the starting blocks that take the honours.