Growing a Small Business During a Pandemic
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Action Plan B
When I started my business in 2018, I knew that it was going to be a slow process. I purposely allowed myself space to create an authentic brand and really embrace all that starting a company can bring - stress, comfort, excitement, doubt and more stress. I had slated 2020 to be my peak year and made plans for lots of networking, collaborations and marketing. So why am I permanently situated on my sofa with an endless supply of white cheddar popcorn and rosè?
After the shock of knowing that I would probably never be able to purchase wet wipes again, I began to search for a silver lining - as faint as it seemed I did manage to find one. There’s always two sides to every situation, wanted and unwanted. I could focus on what was presented to me - the whole world literally shut down and I’m left with only 5 rolls of toilet paper. Then there was what I wanted - to continue my journey of creating an authentic brand centered around creativity, knitting and endless possibilities. Although the first option was so easy to achieve as it was my constant reality, I eventually (a couple of weeks later) chose Plan B!
So, what’s Plan B? Great question, at first it was just a “working title” and then I allowed it to morphed into an experience of clarity and intention. After days went by of me doing nothing, I got inspired to unload a lot of my shit! Things that I have allowed to play big roles in my life with very small parts and no speaking lines. I hunkered down, did the emotional work and mapped out a plan to do nothing. Often times when we’re in a difficult situation, the immediate response is to come up with this “genius plan” to get out of the situation not realizing that most of the time it’s a “genius plan” that gets us into the situation in the first place.
I learned that allowance isn’t the act of doing nothing but the courtesy of getting out of your way and receive what has already been prepared for you. The first thing I did was forgive myself and stopped spewing rhetoric of failure and blame. Once I let go (I know it’s so cliche) and started with clean slate, I got inspired to reimagine what my brand could be and to not doubt my initial thoughts but to take them, plant them and give them time to sprout. After this process over several days of doing nothing and not taking score of how many times I refilled my wine glass - I was able to create. I cleared my space of distractions (sans Instagram and unhealthy doses of Netflix) and I began creating a new blueprint for my brand.
The process wasn’t a parting of the sea change (shout out to Moses) but a slight adjustment in the way I observe my accomplishments and to truly define what success means to ME! Most of life changes began as small quiet tweaks and before you know it, your whole life has turned over and you’re in a new mind space. So far, Plan B has been going well and I have been productive in moving forward. The lesson learned is to consistently work toward the big goal with small daily wins and not expect this massive revelation to take place just because I wrote out an unrealistic timeline on the back of my Amazon.com purchase invoice. I’m excited to continue following Plan B and lead with the intention to keep allowing this surge of energy to carry me into the next phase of building my brand.
Check out the new Capsule I | SS collection of The Shrunken Cardigan here