Action Beats Reaction – Self Defense Principle applied to reopening Commercial Spaces.

Action beats reaction is a fairly simple principle to understand and apply. If two people are within reach of one another, in a stationary position, the one who moves first wins. Right now, COVID19 has forced all commercial establishments into a stationary position, the question is: who is going to move first, and more importantly how.

Moving first is not easy, means stepping into unchartered territory and going through the learning curve (and funding it) at a risk of making many mistakes in the process. It is the day to day challenge for the true innovators and the gold cup for startups (first movers’ advantage), and yes, it comes at a cost.

In the case of commercial establishments (retail stores, restaurants, banks and so many others) we have a few guidelines to follow. Standards that have been set by those that never entered the stationary position (for example supermarkets) and regulatory measures like social distancing, capacity restrictions, masks, etc.  Those are a given, a necessary evil that we need to have to re-open. But what about those things that are going to really bring the business back? what needs to change so that the business thrives again? Following safety protocols and doing the same other will be forced to do won’t cut it.

I have a friend that owns a bike shop, when the store was forced to close because of the pandemic, my friend re-negotiated his lease, purchased a commercial VAN (at amazing terms), and began offering in-house servicing to customers for $10 a visit (many of them using their bikes more than usual and some in need of repair). For $10 he would go to your home, service you bicycle and get you ready.  The response was instant, he was booking more than 15 visits a day during his second week of offering the service. More importantly he used the visit to sell customers accessories and new bicycles. His store was closed, just like all the others, but his business was moving while competitors remained stationary. He has gained many new customers and now when the business re-opens he will be in a much better position to keep and build momentum. He plans to keep the Van and the services moving. 

This is an example of action, real action. As re-opening happens, we need to stay ahead, need to look for that first movers’ advantage. Every business is different, and they will all have different ways of going about it. As for us here at KANNOA, we stand ready to help. In that spirit and in anticipation of those needs, we are developing products to make sure your commercial spaces are safe for reopening.

Let’s get moving.

Antonio Turco-Rivas