[Cris Alarcon]
These have been incredibly difficult times for Business Owners, Employees, and Consumers but ultimately this is the Crucible that exemplifies the power of capitalism and our form of democracy.
The “Boom Bust” cycle of American business is something familiar to all students of business and we need look back as far as the World Wars to see this normal cycle as exaggerated as we see today as COVID-19 has decimated the economy we are experiencing today. Although this is an extreme of a normal business process, it is not unique.
Business is not about making money, it is about identifying a consumer/industrial need that is unmet and then meeting that need combined with promoting that you have the solution to that unmet need. Thi kind of enterprise is full of the promises of great Reward and equally the risk of financial ruin. The money aspect of Capitalism comes from the need to pay business overhead, staff, and high level expertise a market rate for their contribution to the enterprise. Few large enterprises in the United States have a Net profit of more than 5%. Most that are not in the business executive level realize that most businesses operate and suck a small margin of profit but see business as a huge money maker for a few.
Intense competition, changing environmental factors and changing consumer demands necessitate that thriving businesses must be agile, thoughtful, and quick to respond to these changes if they are to remain profitable businesses. Often these changes are forced upon them by uncontrollable external changes like Labor Unionization, Global wars, or Consumer changes for new offerings like Healthier food selections.
Those enterprises that respond to market change benefit by being early to market with solutions to the changed market needs. Even our form of government is dictated by these changing market needs. A Politician that remains on the same platform that worked before a public change in wants is left in the asheheap of defeat as new politicians that offer solutions take their place.
Today we have “Social Distancing” forced on us by the Pandemic caused by the lethal virus COVID-19. Be it an enterprise or politics, they change or they fail. This is the power of Capitalism and the great benefit it offers to the consumer. The consumer sets the Needs and both business and government adablets to those consumer wants.
Two examples of these adaptations driven by changes in need are restaurants and medicine.
Many restaurants we know can no longer offer dining room service. They are not take-out enterprises so they are faced with closing their doors for months [or forever] or adapting to offer “Curbside” takeout. Those that have adapted to the new market change forced on them have new experience in an previously unexplored revenue stream to augment their existing profit centers. Mant would not have taken the effort or risks if they were not forced to make these adaptations. Many will drop this service as soon as they can while others will continue this alternative revenue stream as an augmentation to their customary offerings. Then the consumer will determine if this is an alternative they want to continue to patronize. In this process many restaurants that have been offering “Curbside” service have gained new customers due to the limited market competition for non-dining-room prepared ready-to-eat foods.
Many that survive this “BUST” cycle will come out stronger and ahead of competitors that were not as adaptable. With some customers that may never have experienced their foods in the normal course of business. For those it will be dedicated customers, a quickly expanding market, and dedicated staff - “BOOM” times.
In the “Public Sector” of government insurance funds like Medical and Medicare we can see similar changes forced upon them by COVID-19. “Telemed” is not new but it was only used in very limited cases and with many restrictions. Telemed is remote visits with doctors. I first saw it used when my wife was being seen for an immune system problem. We are both clients of El Dorado County Health Services. After I became very ill we went from expense insurance to low income alternatives. The Community Health service has limited staff and when the need for specialized experts they draw on outside expediters. At my wife’s first Telemed consult with a immunologist specialist I watched as her regular doctor talked to another doctor on the computer and they performed an exame together, one with hands-on and the other providing the highly specialized consult. It was new to me but it was effective and my wife was soon diagnosed with Sjogren's disease.
This was a very effective method and allowed the specialist to perform an exam from hundreds of miles away. I soon learned that the specialist was only allowed 1 hour a month by the insurance company. Not 1 hour a month with my wife, but 1 hour a month for all of her clients on Medical.
I have a 79-year-old senior at home and recently she met with her neurologist in Sacramento, from her bed her in Somerset. A telemed appointment via Facetime, using the computer rather than a 3 hour trip to Sacramtrnto and back. The appointment went well and saved the fatigue inducing travel and eliminated the possibility of spreading COVID to a high-risk patient. Although it was difficult for me to set-up our side and also difficult for the medical provider to mainstream the new “office visit” metgod, it was a great advancement with many benefits.
I talked to Dr. Bachman, the former El Dorado County Director of Mental Health about the new deployment of this technology in the patient/doctor metod of “office” visits he told me that this something that has been available to the medical field but was limited by the many restrictions placed on its use by major insurers. He then went on to explain that most of those restrictions have been removed since personal meetings with high risk patients caused by the spread of the Pandemic virus has severely limited the availability of regular office visits.
These are just two examples of how COVID-19 has Forced innovation and adaptations, and in both cases it has been a significant effort on the provider and a significant benefit to the consumer wanting the additional service options.
The best of our Capitalist system, the provider that can adapt benefits by becoming more effective at meeting changing market needs and the consumer benefits by receiving a new solutions to those needs met by the enterprises creativity, adaptability, and innovations.
Those service/product providers that cannot adapt will properly fade into history as all those that cannot provide solutions in an ever changing competitive environment.
[Note, some businesses like event venues and event supply renatals cannot adapt to Social Distancing]
In recognition of those enterprises that have adapted and innovated to meet the current “Social Distancing” environment, Placerville Newswire is offering free advertising to those companies that serve their consumers and keep employees earning paychecks.
Simply send an email to news@inedc.com or post a comment at the end of this story.
Conditions:
1) must offer a service tailored to meet “Social Distancing” changes in place today.
2) must have a Website that interested people will be directed to from the advertisment.
3) If you do not have the ad artwork we will create it at no charge.
