Inga Petri | Strategic Moves | February 24, 2022

S2E15

 

Join Yukon Entrepreneur Inga Petri, creator of Strategic Moves, as we reconnect since we last chatted over a year and a half ago and find out what changes have occurred for them and their business.

 

(2:02) Inga shares their first memory of the pandemic.  Their very first memory was of the strange news reports coming out of Wuhan, China, but their first major memory of realizing it was a big deal was when the restaurant their wife was running was going to close after the weekend and there was mix of people coming to support and order food, but also a fear of touching anything and a level of trust that was just gone suddenly. 

 

(3:30) Inga discusses what they have learned about their business model over the past two years.  As an independent consultant, they already had a practice that was predominantly digital, which means they were already used to working remotely for the past 25 years.  The biggest difference they found was the acceptance their clients had of doing work 100% digitally.  They observe how stark of a division the business world has seen between people who have done much better or not at all during this pandemic.

 

(4:58) Thinking about their customer, Inga has learned the challenges that exist in the performing arts sector, as its model is predicated on people getting together and sharing experiences.  They share the difficulties of re-imagining that model in a sustainable way and how many organizations who have been shuttered for two years are trying to figure out how to come back now.

 

(7:43) Learning about leadership, Inga talks a lot about resiliency and the difference in leadership that focuses on what the opportunity is moving ahead as opposed to an immediate crisis response.  They highlight the importance of having the ability to do two things at the same time; get to the next day and create the lasting change that will build into something self-sustaining.

 

(10:01) Inga shares the challenge of creating digital experiences that are worthwhile, while also still being dedicated to life.  If their clients start to embrace digital too much, they can start looking like a different company than they are which can be challenging to balance.

 

(12:59) Due to their business model as a consultant, Inga has not experienced many challenges with the public health measures that have occurred, however, thinking about their clients, and group gathering overall, they perceive that fear-based messaging over the last two years has had an impact and it will not be easy to reverse.

 

(15:48) Inga shares the opportunity they are seeing in the digital world and working on developing hybrid business models.

 

(17:38) Inga’s practice demands that they stay on top of things, so they are always learning to keep sharp which allows them to better teach and support their clients.  They find themselves reading and exploring a bunch of randomness to make sure they don’t miss out on important things.

 

(19:48) As the Yukon economy emerges from the pandemic, Inga expresses that there are some decisions that need to be made as a society including: what work we value and the pay scales associated, scarcity in the housing market, the larger need for elevated connectivity, and more.

 

(24:28) Inga’s advice for emerging entrepreneurs? Passion is good in business, but it’s even better if you have a business plan.  They discuss the advantage of tempering taking action and keeping moving, with a bit of knowledge and understanding about the competitive landscape.

 

(27:55) Inga’s worldview hasn’t shifted dramatically due to the pandemic, however they share that they spent 8 years prior trying to get a sector that is not particularly interested in digitization, in digitization, and with the pandemic hitting, this became no longer optional.  They stress that it is important to keep in mind that there isn’t a one size fits all solution for everyone and to not have assumptions about what must be in the world is also helpful.

 

(30:32) What wellness practice keeps Inga grounded? Outdoors has always been the answer for them and they wish they had a bit more time to spend out there.

 

(33:48) Inga shares their final thoughts on how we need to find ways to live together in good ways that actually serve people and serve all of us much more equitably.  Their hope is that we are not wasting this crisis and will learn from it.

 

Thank you for watching!

 

To learn more about Inga and their business, visit their website at:

https://strategicmoves.ca/