Deciding to abandon a profitable product for a nascent one was difficult. The COVID-19 pandemic forced the decision by killing the old product's sales pipeline while accelerating demand for the new one's remote access capabilities, making the pivot clear and necessary overnight.

During the COVID downturn, with sales plummeting, a leader vulnerably told a collaborator he had to stop their joint project to focus on generating immediate revenue. Hearing the truth, the collaborator offered to become a paying customer for the exact amount needed to avoid layoffs.

When COVID-19 shut down their events business, Campaigns & Elections avoided temporary solutions like webinars. Instead, they focused on building a durable membership model that would thrive after live events returned. This ensured they emerged from the crisis with a larger, more diversified business.

Accel Events thrived by pivoting to a virtual events platform during COVID. However, this new reputation hurt them when the market returned to in-person events. They were no longer seen as a viable in-person solution, forcing another costly product and brand rebuild to recapture their original market.

When COVID-19 halted travel, Unbound Merino's core "pack less" benefit became irrelevant. They survived by pivoting their messaging to focus on the product's intrinsic features, like comfort and breathability, which appealed to customers stuck at home.

When COVID-19 invalidated its revenue plan, Nextdoor's GM used a pre-existing worst-case scenario to pivot the product strategy. The focus shifted from subscriptions to features that provided immediate cash flow to local businesses (e.g., gift cards), enabling a quick, board-aligned response to the crisis.

A near-fatal business crisis, while painful, offers a rare chance to rebuild. Founder Sarah LaFleur views surviving COVID-driven store closures and layoffs as an opportunity to implement lessons learned and build a more resilient company the second time around.

Launching during a downturn can be advantageous. With less competition, a compelling story can gain significant PR traction. Larroudé's founders leveraged the 2020 pandemic when other brands were silent, mirroring the retail boom that followed the 2008 crisis.

Marketing agency Marketex developed a digital product for a public speaker to reach audiences who couldn't attend live events. When COVID-19 canceled all in-person speaking, this pre-existing digital offering became an immediate, seamless pivot, demonstrating that expanding market reach can double as a powerful contingency plan.