For some business, COVID was the end of business as they knew it. The pandemic disrupted multiple industries and put companies out of business. The planned two-week shut down to stop the spread turned into over a year of shutdowns, for some even longer. For tech entrepreneur Eric Knopf co-founder along with John Russell of Webconnex, a software company that creates software for live events, fundraising, and nonprofits, COVID could have been the end of their business as they knew it, but God had other plans.
“We just had this several million dollar punch in the face,” explained Knopf when recalling the hundreds of canceled events. It was the wildest time.”
Since live events made up 80% of the company’s revenue, it was pivot or face the possibility of closing the company or at best facing massive layoffs.
“I really strongly felt the Lord say you’re ready for this, you’ve got muscles for this,” Knopf shared on a recent podcast hosted by Shawn Bolz.
“Our first reaction was this is not God sending this calamity, he is not trying to teach us a lesson. He is teaching us to overcome, we are more than conquerors through him”
Though advisors and well meaning Christians around him were saying lay off employees, Knopf decided to seek God and get with his team to strategize about how to pivot and create products for a changing marketplace.
“Wisdom said cut hard, cut fast, and cut deep, but what’s revelation?” Knopf along with his team began asking.
Their closest competitor, Eventbrite laid off 60% of their team as soon as the pandemic hit.
In terms of the company’s 45 employees and meeting payroll, “We prayed, we weeped with them.”
Knopf and Russell along with their leadership team decided not to lay off a single employee and press in to God’s will. Through faith and some help from the PPP program which bought them some time, they resolved, “We’re going to press in, and see what God’s wants to do.”
Many of their employees took pay cuts, and adjustments to keep the company afloat. Their sales team began fasting and praying. By August of 2020 things began to turn around. By October 2020, they’d broken their monthly sales record. By November they doubled it.
Clearly God had other plans and honored the faith of Knopf, Russell and their employees who choose to take the road less traveled and it made all the difference.
In the end, not one employee was laid off, all employee pay was restored. Knopf shared, the company went on to double their sales, exceeded their goals by over $1.5 million and saw the company successfully pivot and grow their business in the midst of a famine in their industry.
