What the 2020 crisis taught me about the real role of a business owner
On 13 May 2020, I sat down at my desk.
And for the first time in a long while, I felt afraid.
The phone had stopped ringing.
Every email was about cancellations.
Customers were asking for refunds.
And our schedule had become completely empty.
Within a few days, our business had lost every source of revenue.
There were only two things left to look at:
- the cash available in our accounts;
- the payments falling due.
It was in that silence that I understood what being a business owner really meant.
You can manage teams.
Organise events.
Sell services.
Build a business.
But nothing really prepares you for this question:
“Will the business survive?”
Making decisions amid uncertainty
At that point, there were two options.
The first: use the available cash to get through a few months, reduce risk and wait for the situation to pass.
The second: take a calculated risk and invest in transforming the business.
I chose the second option.
Out of conviction.
And, to be honest, out of a survival instinct.
Within a few weeks, we had created a new line of business.
We invested in an e-commerce website.
We bought equipment.
We rebuilt a daily flow of cash.
The aim was not to do “better than before”.
The first priority was to stay alive.
Cash before profitability
During that period, one thing became very clear to me:
profitability is essential, but in a crisis, cash is vital.
A business can survive for a while with less-than-ideal profitability.
But it cannot survive for long without cash.
Every payment received mattered.
Every due date had to be anticipated.
Every decision had to be weighed carefully.
The question was no longer just:
“Is this activity profitable?”
It was also:
“Can it bring in cash now without putting the business at risk tomorrow?”
That distinction may sound simple.
But in a crisis, it changes the entire way you manage a business.
What that period taught me
That crisis taught me several lessons I have never forgotten.
First, business owners must face their figures, even when they are frightening.
Second, a business must be able to adapt quickly without losing its structure altogether.
Finally, a good idea is not enough. You also need to understand its implications for cash flow, workload, organisation, the team and risk.
Cash is more than an accounting figure.
Sometimes it is what separates a surviving business from one that disappears.
Since that period, I have looked at accounts differently.
I no longer see only columns, balances or results.
I see decisions.
Pressures.
Margins.
Risks.
Early warning signs.
Alerts that need to be heard before it is too late.
A conviction that became a method
That experience helped shape the way I support business owners today.
At JM Conseils, I always start from a simple reality:
figures tell a story. But they must be connected to day-to-day operations to become useful.
A cash-flow problem may stem from insufficient margin.
Insufficient margin may stem from a poorly prepared quote.
A poorly prepared quote may stem from a misunderstanding of how the work is actually done.
Poor organisation can exhaust teams and cost money without being immediately visible.
Everything is connected.
That is why I support business owners by bringing together three dimensions:
figures, operations and people.
What I take away from that crisis
I did not become a better business owner because everything was going well.
I became one because I had to face the situation.
Because I had to make decisions.
Because I had to look squarely at the figures.
Because I had to transform a business urgently without losing sight of our direction altogether.
That period taught me that business resilience does not depend solely on the owner’s determination.
It also depends on the ability to:
- understand the figures;
- protect cash reserves;
- adapt the business model;
- structure decisions;
- maintain a clear perspective under pressure.
That is precisely the perspective I now want to share with SME owners.
Not a theoretical method.
Not a ready-made recipe.
But practical insight, grounded in experience, to help them make clearer decisions.
Conclusion
In the hardest moments, business owners often discover a strength they did not know they had.
But that strength should do more than help them keep going.
It should also help them learn, create structure and manage what comes next more effectively.
Because courage alone does not save a business.
It takes clarity, well-understood figures, decisions you take responsibility for and a realistic view of operations.
Do your figures, cash flow or organisation feel unclear?
The SME 360 Business Review helps you step back, analyse your key figures and margins, and identify pressure points and priorities.