Facing Adversity

Typically, everyone will face adversity while starting their small business. I am incredibly grateful that the start of my independent career was fruitful. I knew I'd experience hiccups, but never in my wildest dreams did I, or anyone I know, foresee a global pandemic. While I've never felt more alone, I know there is a sense of commonality that brings us all together as we experience the same thing at the same time.

All of my leads are currently on hold. This is so scary and it's easy to become numb and to live in a place of fear. Ways we used to find repris in our days, like going on instagram or even going for a walk, are now constant reminders of what is happening in our world. I've decided that we can choose to live in this fear and indulge in this furious state of unknown, or we can choose to focus on what we can control. Another small business owner I look up to said, "if I could have had two months to work solely on my online presence prior to starting my business, I would have been much more successful when I launched". This gave me a lot of inspiration.

Here's what I'm doing to focus on what is within my ability to control:

• Weekly enhancements to website and social media marketing
• Bi-weekly follow up with lead funnel to keep relationships strong
• Networking and scheduling calendar invites for coffee meetings in the future
• Honing my skill set by taking advanced Photoshop and Sketchup classes
• Google reviews - new review postings are currently delayed, but think about other small business owners you love and support on a regular basis. Write them a review and surprise them with it when Google Reviews resume. Not only will it make their day, but it will spark their own thoughts on generosity and how they might be able to support your small business
• SBA loan education and applications
• Complimentary webinars and ebooks for a sense of community, learning, and thought provoking exercises
• Creating gift cards for my business to give to lead funnel and realtors
• Revisit resume, contract verbiage, and which collaboration partners serve you best
• Daily exercise - at home yoga classes, instagram live workouts, hiking, running, walking
• Limiting the amount of news I digest and trying to balance being in the know of global events vs being saturated by it
• Breathing exercises, listing what I'm grateful for each day, being present and in the moment
• Facetime with friends and family, virtual book clubs, sending dancing videos to friends who could use a smile

I hope this blog post will help you think about what matters most and what you can control. Join me in my focus on what is within my power and giving my energy to what I do know.