From quarantines to working remotely, precautions are being taken across the U.S. in response to the spread of coronavirus.
If you find yourself stuck at home, there are ways to make the best of a bad situation, according to “Shark Tank” investor Daymond John.
“You have to make sure that you take that time to switch things up, adjust and get ready for this change,” he said.
His advice: Think like an entrepreneur.
“What if you save three hours of transportation a day that you normally would have had to do?” said John, author of “Powershift: Transform Any Situation, Close Any Deal, and Achieve Any Outcome.”
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“You’re not going to treat those three hours a day like Saturday and hang out and do nothing,” he said. “You’re going to take those three hours and you’re going to work for those three hours.”
On Wednesday, Amazon asked its employees in Massachusetts to work from home if they can. The tech giant had already told workers in its offices in New York, New Jersey and the San Francisco Bay area — as well as Madrid, Spain, and Italy — to work from home.
Facebook, Google and Microsoft have also asked staff in affected areas to work from home to help reduce the potential spread of the virus, which has now infected more than 1,000 in the U.S. There are more than 121,564 cases to date of the coronavirus around the world.
Colleges are also shuttering their doors and moving classes online. Schools across the U.S. are making plans to go virtual.
John said while it may not be feasible to devote all of your newfound free time to work, try to use some of that time for self improvement.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – MARCH 10: A masked pedestrian pauses near the Amazon headquarters on March 10, 2020 in downtown Seattle. In response to the coronavirus outbreak, Amazon recommended all employees in its Seattle headquarters work from home.
John Moore
The key is to increase your knowledge on things that will help you at work, or a side gig you are building up. For example, you can take online classes or become a social media maven.
“You’re educating yourself and getting as much information as you can to be a better person,” he said.
It’s something he knows a lot about. John was working at Red Lobster when he started peddling hats on the streets of New York. That was the start of his apparel company, FUBU, which earned around $350 million in sales at its peak in 1998.
By the time you return to your office, you’ll be proficient at working remotely and have additional knowledge that will make you an asset, John said.
“Just make sure you keep investing yourself because true entrepreneurs know that change will always happen,” he said.
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Disclosures: NBCUniversal and Comcast Ventures are investors in Acorns. CNBC owns the exclusive off-network cable rights to ABC’s “Shark Tank.”
