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Amid the disruption that has faced over the past 18 months, savvy business leaders are increasingly looking for the “slow burns” or long-term opportunities that arise from the pandemic.

“If you are forward-looking and foresighted, you can clearly take market share from the competition,” says Robert Rudy, co-founder of the management consultancy STAND Advisors. “Business owners need to take off their blinkers and be brave enough to accept that change is imminent.”

From leveraging shifts in customer spending to better aligning remote teams, STAND Advisors is helping companies adopt the mindsets and structures they need to emerge even stronger from the pandemic, equipped with a sustainable structure they are for positioned for long-term growth.

“Some companies have sat back and waited for the pandemic to subside, and now there is a world of new business opportunities,” says Rudy. “The time to wait is over.”

The rapid change

Ashley Lawrie, CEO of Free Form Fitness

Ashley Lawrie, Ottawa-based CEO of Free Form Fitness, is a corporate leader who discovered opportunities in the rapidly changing business environment while working with STAND Advisors.

Lawrie faced a variety of challenges over the past year, including public health restrictions, prolonged closings at their six locations, and the cessation of the gym’s first U.S. expansion.

“It was the first time in business that I felt completely exhausted and didn’t know what to do,” says Lawrie. “But we took a break, we listened to our customers and developed our services so that we can stay operational.”

Lawrie’s linchpin for digital classes and take-away exercise equipment sales helped the company stay afloat and keep membership numbers – a dynamic she is keen to maintain as restrictions lift and interest in personal training in the height has skyrocketed.

“Now is not the time to take off the accelerator,” she says.

While it can be difficult to spot opportunities when business is changing rapidly, Lawrie has shown the importance of pausing and evaluating your situation before taking a step, says Rudy.

Business owners often get carried away with quick changes and try to turn when that doesn’t make sense, which can be a costly mistake.

Learn how to seize the opportunity

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“It depends on vision, mission and purpose,” says Rudy. “Where are we going? How do we get there and how do we know when we are on the right track? These are the questions that entrepreneurs have to ask themselves.”

Rudy’s business partner, STAND co-founder Pascal St-Jean, notes that there are a multitude of opportunities for businesses as the recent phase of rapid change shifts to a “slow-burn” environment.

STAND works with its clients to capitalize on these opportunities by helping them build strong leadership teams and identify the resources necessary to properly plan and execute their business strategy.

“As an entrepreneur, you need to have the courage to look at the reality of the situation and see if your business is sustainable in this changing environment,” says St-Jean. “You have to find the balance between doing nothing and irrelevance and throw yourself headlong into a new opportunity without thinking it through completely.”

STAND Advisors has partnered with BDO Canada to help companies and their leadership teams overcome their barriers to growth and performance while adapting to current market conditions.

As an established professional service company, BDO is known for helping clients address their unique business challenges and providing the expertise and solutions that align with the ultimate goals of the company. BDO was a natural industrial partner for the consulting firm, says Pascal St-Jean, co-founder of STAND Advisors.

“To grow our business, we had to find great consultants who understand the STAND approach and align with our vision,” he says. “That is exactly what we found at BDO.”

With STAND Advisors 10 T’s scale-up framework, the two organizations will help business owners and executives overcome shared growth challenges and provide their clients with the tools they need to be successful themselves.

“The STAND approach offers a springboard for growth and strategy for SMEs; This is a pragmatic and accessible solution for our growth-minded clients who may struggle to reach their size, ”added Anna Giampà, Director of Strategy Advisory at BDO Canada LLP.

By providing “Fortune 500-level services to local businesses,” the partnership will help businesses stay at the top of their game, says St-Jean.

By leveraging BDO’s customer-centric engagement methodology, the duo will be able to match the right consultant with the right customer to ensure a strong and reliable partnership.

“We are pleased to enter into this strategic partnership with STAND Advisors; This collaboration enables BDO to significantly improve our service offering for small and medium-sized companies, ”says Kelly Campbell, strategy consulting partner at BDO Canada LLP.