One thing we can all agree upon: Take a giant tarp, fill it with everything bad from 2020, roll it up and put it in an incinerator to burn. That is the best way of remembering 2020 and getting over it.
Now comes 2021. A new calendar. 365 new days. What is going to be different?
January 21 we will at least have a new President. Biden will find out early January if he controls both the House & Senate or just the House (House is my best guess).
Other than that and everyone getting a year older, what really is going to be different? We want to be optimistic (a good trait about being human) and look for 2021 to bring a sense of normalcy back to our lives. Yes, we have a vaccine, yes we have stimulus and yes, we have reasons to be positive.
The big question in 2021 is how long that optimism and positivity will last. If for some magical moment we can make it last throughout, then we are headed for a much better year. But if that moment collapses, what is left to do? The government, even Biden & Harris, can’t write continuous checks and bail out everyone.
Here in MI, just about everything is still closed and we are looking towards January 15 for at least restaurants to reopen. Then again, dining out in the middle of winter is not the most fun thing to do. The state of CA has zero capacity in their ICU units and now with the new strain detected in CO, what will become of that?
Many of our customers are still struggling and resort spas are running at minimal capacity if they are even open. The number of nail salons that have closed just in NYC alone is astounding. The restaurant association states upwards of 20% of restaurants have shut down. The fate of small business is up in the air (literally).
What do I think? For those that care, the first six months is going to be like the past six months. We have to hope that all the holiday travel did not create new spikes and that the numbers start to recede. We have to hope that we can get 75-80% of the population vaccinated before July 1. We have to hope that the new strain is very limited and if not, the current vaccine can cure it. Bottom line: We have to hope.
The back half of 2021? Everyone is banking on a full recovery and even cruise ships sailing again (albeit most likely not until November). The big question we all have to ask ourselves is what does a full recovery even look like? So many habits have been changed, many of us will never go back to what we used to do or what we used to take for granted. I still value an amazing mani/pedi/massage and thank God that Amazon/Shopify have not figured out how to do these services on an app (I am sure that is coming, HA!).
TNG Worldwide is well positioned for 2021 and I am very excited to assist our customers in reaching their aspirations and goals. I am geeked about our new website launching January 4 along with some very cool product ideas. I am excited about containers of gloves showing up so we can continue to help our customers with the most basic of items. I cannot tell you how many doctors, nurses, nursing homes, funeral homes and first care providers we assisted in 2020. Truthfully, I will be very happy to sell pedi slippers, wax beads, Triple Treat and EMMA Beauty, the true return to normalcy. Last but not least I can’t wait for the launch of EMMA Active nail polish also coming January 4.
Happy New Year to you, my loyal readers and with that, the most important hopes are for health, safety and well-being. Whatever 2021 deals us, after 2020, we are more than ready to move forward. Thank you!
Larry
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