This is happening. Here's what you can do about it.
Where do we even begin? The past few months have been a complete rollercoaster of emotions. Personally I've swung from feeling all the #feels about my book coming out in the midst of this and revising all of the changes I was making to my biz ahead of my youngest starting childcare, through to feeling pure joy at the ways people are banding together and the generosity taking place across the globe.
As I write this, my brother is potentially stuck with his family in Norway and my sister, a GP, is working so hard to help so many people. I've had to move my public workshops online (you can see more here) and have cancelled my upcoming April 4 workshop with my friend and fellow biz owner Natasha Morgan (of Oak & Monkey Puzzle). Conferences I was due to speak at have been cancelled and my longed-for business trip to the Fast Company Conference in NYC later in the year looks like it may not take place (#TheresStillHope).
This is going to impact all of us in different ways. With circumstances changing every few hours, the only thing we can be certain about is that change is inevitable. As small biz owners, you're no doubt well aware that change = growth. How will this situation enable you to grow personally and professionally? What might change for the better as a result?
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As I see it, we can all sit around, wallow in despair and complain, OR we can focus on taking three core actions:
1 Staying positive
I get it. We are human and, in many ways, this situation sucks. But, as my late mum used to always say “life is 10% what happens to you, 90% how you choose to react to it”.
We have to first accept what’s happening and then figure out ways to stay positive— the alternative won’t help anyone. What can you be thankful for right now? How can you focus on those things, on the daily? While it may seem twee or smallfry right now, taking time out every day to focus on the good can do wonders for your overall attitude and enable that positive energy to extend to other others in your home and community.
For me, I'm thankful for:
1. the fact my father passed away at the end of December 2019 and isn’t stuck, alone, in a nursing home without access to visitors or fellow residents
2. that we are coming together like we have never done before. Need proof? Check out this video or this one #LoveLoveLove
3. the 1:1 time I now have to spend with my loved ones
4. that the majority of my business is online and I have systems set up to support this
5. that everyone is in this together — the entire world is right there alongside you feeling all the #feels
6. that I have a roof over my head. Next month I was due to start volunteering at a homeless shelter near me and, if it's allowed, I still will. If you have a warm bed to sleep in right now you're doing well.
7. that I can help people in the coming months set up business systems that support them moving online or strengthening their online presence
8. the positive environmental news that's resulting from this — I am hopeful our planet may just be better off as we finally work towards looking after it
9. that we can laugh in the face of so much uncertainty — the memes I have seen online have been funny and uplifting
10. the creativity and innovation that is being seen as a result of this. I can't wait to see what results in months to come
What are 10 things you're grateful for right now? I’ve made this nifty PDF to help remind you what’s GOOD right now. Print it off, fill it in and place it in a high-traffic area in your house.
2 Supporting Small Biz
Small biz owners, like my friend Natasha Morgan who depend on physical, face-to-face contact for much of their business will be hit hardest. So, how can you support fellow small biz owners during this time?
· Write testimonials they can use for their website, Google My Business and other marketing avenues
· Shout them out on social media #ShareTheLove
· Buy a gift voucher (like this one for Natasha's business) to use at a later date (if you're a physical shop or event space, consider setting up a gift voucher offer, then share with your audience)
· If you can, get out and support your local shops and events. Even if you’re not buying up big, simply going in and having a chat can do wonders for mood right now
· Check in on people. A simple text or DM to show you're thinking of them helps
· Collaborate where you can. If you have an online store, which labels might you add to your offer? Who might you be able to help get their product online? If you're a service-based business, what can you do with others to benefit a larger audience?
What will you do to support small biz owners in this time?
3 Embracing innovation
It’s at these times that we often see the most creativity and innovation surface. This is a situation none of us saw coming and as such it would be easy to fall into a pit of wallow & despair. That does little to help anyone.
What can this event teach you?
What changes can your business make to ride this crazy wave? How might you serve your audience in new and innovative ways? How might you collaborate with like-minded biz owners? One small business that’s doing this well is Firecracker Event who have teamed up with fellow small biz owners Fig & Salt, Box Brownies, Pausa Pranzo, The Pie Shop and The Common Good Store. Instead of just running their usual separate businesses (catering, selling food in physical spaces) they are coming together to offer deliveries of food to people's home / businesses.
This global change is happening now. How might we tweak our businesses' offerings to make the most of it?
My late father had a bit of a rough time of it in his youth and early adulthood, and even much later in life when his beloved wife of almost 50 years died very suddenly and his health took a major downturn. Despite this, he was one of the most positive people I have ever met. When I would ask him how he remained so upbeat he would answer, "Why worry? What good will that actually do? Instead, look at all that's good around you. Look at the people who love you. Look at what you can control. Life can be wonderful. Let your focus be on that". I hope his words bring some peace to you this week.
Sending you and your family love.