I’d be willing to bet that when you designed your vision board or wrote down your plans and goals for 2020, getting furloughed or laid off, being forced to stay home for 3 months, becoming unemployed, or losing thousands of dollars in sales and revenue was not a part of your vision.

The historic COVID-19 pandemic has caused all kinds of destruction and chaos. It’s also changed the lives of people across the globe. More than 20 million workers have found themselves jobless and thousands of business owners and brands have lost well over $8.5 trillion in revenue and sales.

I know - these numbers are grim. But believe it or not, something beautiful can come from all of this if you make the right choices, decisions and moves that will pay off once this is all over. Now is the perfect time to invest in your career, brand, or business to emerge from COVID-19 better than ever.

THE IMPORTANCE OF INVESTING IN YOURSELF

Investing in yourself means to spend your money, time, and energy on things that can increase your worth, connect you with people or opportunities, teach you new things, or enrich your career or business.

It can be something as simple as a new book or ticket to an event, to something sizable like a career coach or new website. Simply put, a self-investment is anything that allows you to get an ROI on YOU. The payoff could be a promotion, a salary increase, more brand visibility, and new clients.

When you choose to prioritize your professional or business development, you will always reap a benefit. You may have to sacrifice or make compromises, but the long-term reward is well worth it.

8 INVESTMENTS TO MAKE IN YOURSELF ASAP

Here are 8 things to incorporate into your budget to set you up for success once COVID-19 is long gone.

1. A New/Updated Resume or CV

Keeping professional documents like your resume and CV updated keeps you ready and prepared not just for new opportunities, but layoffs and furloughs, too.

The biggest mistake most people make is not maintaining their resume by adding new jobs, accomplishments, educational achievements, or recognition as they happen.

Failing to do this costs you money, interviews, and precious time in your job search. If you’re not proud of how your resume looks or if your resume is missing recent information, now is the time to hire a professional resume writer to craft an optimized document that shows your worth and makes you stand out.

The Thompson Resume Writing Co. team is always accepting new clients!

2. Headshots or Professional Pictures

When was the last time you took some nice, polished pictures of yourself? Book an appointment with a skilled photographer to capture some professional images that you can use for your LinkedIn profile, speaking engagements and features, and social media channels.

These images can be used to launch your brand and portray your best professional self to the digital world. As a business owner, you can use these snapshots for your marketing, resources and content offers, media pitches, and much more.

3. A New Website or An Update to Your Existing One

With the whole world spending more time online, you’re losing out on some serious traffic and exposure that could lead to sales and exclusive opportunities.

If you’re a business owner who has been operating without a website, it’s time to get one! If you’re a business owner who hasn’t made any updates to your website, it’s time to make some tweaks like changing the layout, adding new pics, and more.

If you don’t have a small business, you can still get a website designed to make you stand out from other candidates during your job search and establish your brand.

Use it to invite recruiters and hiring managers to learn more about you by viewing your portfolio, additional information about accomplishments listed on your resume, and more.

4. Online Conferences, Summits, and Workshops

In person events are pretty much cancelled until 2021. But that doesn’t mean you can’t attend them at all! Many conferences and summits have been reformatted into online events hosted on Zoom, IG Live, FB Live, and other platforms.

In fact, many of them are FREE! Attending events is a great way to network and build relationships with other professionals and go-getters who have the same interests and ambitions as you.

They also keep you learning new things such as technology and best practices, and keep you on top of emerging trends. Use social media and sites like EventBrite to find upcoming online events that you can register for, as well as social media and LinkedIn.

5. Certifications , Classes and Workshops

When was the last time you learned something new? You don’t always have to go back to school or enroll in a degree program to expand your skill set and knowledge.

Enrolling yourself in online courses and certification programs adds to your worth, which could lead to a higher salary as a job-seeker or an increase in your prices as a business owner.

You can use online platforms such as Skillshare, Udemy, LinkedIn Learning, and Teachable to learn something new. Also, don’t rule out certificate programs at online schools, community colleges, and software companies.

6. New Technology

Staying on top of technology and its shifts will keep you ahead of the game. Especially now with everything being done virtually, digitally, and remotely, getting up to speed with software and equipment can pay off in the long run. You can invest in new technology by:

Upgrading your computer: Getting a new one altogether or getting an update for your current one.
Purchasing/Learning a new software or program: Do you know other software or programs outside of MS Office and Social Media? If you don’t it’s time to explore some new ones. This can include a wide range of things from Quickbooks, Hubspot, Adobe Premiere, Google Analytics, Squarespace, Canva, and more.
Buying new equipment you’ve never used before: This can include a digital camera and lighting equipment or something else.

7. A Career or Business Coach

If you’re not seeing the results you would like in your career or business, it would be beneficial to hire a career coach or a business coach to help you devise a strategy to reach your goals.

A business coach and/or career coach can be be expensive - prices can range from 4 to 6 figures. BUT the investment will be worth it to help you get to the next level in your entrepreneurial or professional journey.

A business coach can help with evaluating your business and refining or implementing new processes, assist with helping you develop a marketing strategy, and more.

A career coach can help you with achieving your career goals by coming up with an actionable plan to get your dream job, achieve your ideal salary, and other career milestones.

8. A Brand Consultant or Strategist

Having a solid brand with a clear message is essential. If you are using your social media pages, a website, or any other channel as a way to attract clients, job prospects, or business opportunities, your brand needs to be on point.

A brand consultant or strategist can help you develop focus, a clear purpose, spot-on messaging, your brand voice, a mission statement, and more. They can also help you with developing content for your social media and pitching yourself.

YOU CAN NEVER LOSE WHEN YOU INVEST IN YOU

There’s no such thing as wasting money when you invest in yourself. There’s also no consequence either.

What’s so bad about learning how to launch a new revenue stream, discovering how to simplify your processes, or meeting someone who can help you land an interview at your dream company? Wait...none of those actually sound like consequences - because they’re not!

You owe it to yourself to invest in your evolution and development. If you don’t, who else will? I challenge you to do at least one of the things on this list. Which one will you choose?

8 Investments To Make In Your Career, Brand, or Business to Emerge From COVID-19 Stronger And Better