It is said you have to be nimble of foot and mind to make a business success. A lot of hard work is important, too.
Perhaps never has this adage been more apt than these days, while thousands of Canadian business people look at ways to re-launch their companies in the wake of the pandemic.
This as COVID vaccines are being rolled out and our world seems poised for a return to near-normal.
After a year in the COVID-19 wilderness, some of it spent in business lockdown, many entrepreneurs find they need to be more creative than ever to "crack the nut."
The owner of Elliot Lake's Alpine Flowers and Gifts on Paris Road, Luc Morrissette, is one of them. He has come up with an online-based promotion he thinks will help his store and other local firms, make their return to normalcy.
Looking back on the past year, Morrissette observed, "I have been fortunate to be able to stay open during the lockdown even though we had to offer curbside and delivery only."
Through it all, he said a few points stand out.
"I feel the north was pooled into the decision for the whole province-wide shutdown because of the case counts in the south. I also feel small businesses were treated unfairly.
"We have demonstrated better control in keeping our establishments sanitized over the big stores that were able to remain open. I decided to offer for the next four weeks a gift certificate to a business which was either closed or offered limited dining experience or other service during the lock down. All they need to do is locate my business on Facebook.
"Other local businesses will be able to find a weekly video that I plan to post each Wednesday about the contest, in order to register. I also challenge all other businesses who were able to stay open, to do something similar.
"We need to support each other as much as we can. Banks should do a weekly draw for their customers or a similar promotion. There are so many small businesses in Elliot Lake."
Visit Alpine Flowers on Facebook for more information.