On Tuesday, I had a virtual consultation that got off-topic. That is when the entrepreneur on the other end said, "you have to blog about this." And so here I am. This post is dedicated to small businesses owners and entrepreneurs who may be feeling a bit scared with everything going on in the world today.
I'm sitting here, almost 5 years in the business - and as much as I present myself as calm and confident - I am freaking out a little inside. My work heavily involves branding small to mid-size businesses, who right now, are collectively facing the economic impact of COVID-19.
Earlier this week I took a break. From work, from the news and even social media. I just sat and watched two episodes of RuPaul's Drag Race, thinking of nothing... because mindless TV seemed better than real life.
This is a scary time. It is nothing like anything we've seen before as a global community and it is hitting small businesses hard. I've personally experienced this, and it's not a great feeling both on your wallet and your spirit.
But hey, like every challenge that has come my way in the last few years, I'm looking at this as a "change in plans." I truly feel this is the only way to stay sane and push forward.
Let's take this moment and this quartine as an opportunity.
For me, this looks like an opportunity to finally get started on some ideas I've had in the past but never seemed to have time for. Perhaps this is the moment I needed to launch something new!
It also looks like an opportunity to finally work on some of my own digital marketing strategies. I know I've been working on others and ignoring parts of mine, pushing my business to the bottom of the list while building and promoting my client's brands & small businesses.
So if it's a bit quiet right now, then why not seize this opportunity to do the things you've always wanted to do for your business but never seem to have time for?
And most of all - this is not the time to stay quite online. This is the time to be social, engage and continue to build strong relationships.
A friendly reminder (to myself as well), if you don't end up doing any of this, that's OK too. Allow yourself to just relax and reflect.
As a global community, we are going through a lot and it can be draining mentally. It is OK to take this time to just sit back, breathe and be grateful for your health. We are all in this together and will come out of this stronger. The more we take time to practice social distancing, the faster we'll be back to normal.
See you on the other side!