2020 - The challenges, the up’s the downs and the way forward!
As we find ourselves nearing the end of what has been, let us say… an unusual year, here at BDL we have decided to take a look back at what this year has had in store for us.
2020 has arguably been one of the most challenging years for many business and individuals. No one could have envisaged such a catastrophic twist in society and the way we run our lives and businesses. Although the back end of 2019 displayed some uncertainty with the virus ever approaching, inevitably it was to reach the UK. But did anyone ever think a global pandemic would take hold in such a calculating way that is has? We certainly never but one thing it has shown us is that when the time’s get tough, here at BDL we all pull together to help one another and we strive to beat any challenges that we are faced with.
In March 2020, like the majority of Businesses in the UK, we took our work home with us. All our office staff set up their desks in their own homes and continued to work tirelessly to keep things running smoothly while our essential projects carried on amongst the first lockdown. This alone was a challenge. We all had to adapt to our new work surroundings and the way we communicated changed dramatically. We have never used zoom as much in our lives! Although working from home seamed quite nice at first, it soon wore off and we were itching to get back together in person! Little did we know, we would spend the next 6 months apart until it was safe and sensible for us to come back to the office once it was completely COVID-19 secure.
Even during a pandemic, BDL continued to maintain the highest level of service and interaction with our clients. Now more than ever this was absolutely essential. We got our heads together and decided what we needed to do in order to move forward in this situation. We were sensible, realistic, and honest with our entire approach. We devised our contingency plan and distributed it to our clients, ensuring we maintained the same level of communication and that our client relationships were not distorted.
2020 wasn’t all doom and gloom though. This year, we were nominated and shortlisted for our first ever award! ‘Family Business of the year 2020’ which is a great testament and an honour to all of us here at BDL. Back in January when we found out we would be shortlisted and invited to the awards ceremony; we were ecstatic. However, although we might not have had the chance to get our glad rags on and join the ceremony in person down in London, we made the best of the situation by still getting dressed up, getting together on zoom, and watching the live streamed ceremony on our tv’s with a glass of fizz! We might not have been victorious this year, but none the less we are still so proud to have been involved and cannot wait to see what 2021 might bring for us.
As we moved further into 2020, this year proved to get more and more difficult, especially for those who were made redundant or became ill through the pandemic. Here at BDL we knew we had to do something to help our local community now more than ever. We knew that in our community alone, foodbanks were struggling as less people were able to provide donations for them. BDL became a local drop off point for the Widnes Foodbank and over a matter of weeks, we generated lots of bags and boxes full of food items to donate. Simple things that we all take for granted meant more to them that we would ever know. It was great to be in a position to help out and we are committed to continuing support for them throughout 2021.
So, what have we learnt from 2020 and how are we going to do to move forward into a positive, successful, and healthy 2021? Well, first of all we have learnt how lucky we all are to have made it to the other side of 2020 as a stronger team than ever. We have also learnt not to take anything for granted and to help out those around us. You never know when you will be the one needing that help! As far as 2021 goes, we are excited and determined to come back in the new year bigger, better, and greater than ever! We have so many great clients already and are looking forward to seeing what new opportunities and contacts we will welcome in the new year.
From all of us here at BDL, we hope everyone stays safe and well over the festive period and we would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year! Thank you for helping make 2020 a year to remember, not just for the negative reasons!
