My Best Advice, Whether You’re Thriving or Completely Deflated
“The future is already here – it's just not evenly distributed.” William Gibson
In the past several weeks, I’ve had conversations with creative business owners who are:
Thriving in the busiest season of their business, with sales 3x higher than normal.
Grappling with income that is just 10% of what it normally is.
Seeing new, steady wholesale orders but struggling to source supplies.
Dropping all work on their business to care for children full-time.
Opening new stores.
Closing their business.
Donating all of their profits or time to social justice movements.
Ending a piece of their business but finding a better equilibrium.
Completely unmoored and confused by what to do with their business moving forward.
Whatever you are facing right now, you likely feel a large amount of stress and a lack of clarity. You feel pressure to reinvent what you are doing in your business but don’t have the support to make that happen. I believe that for most business owners, COVID-19 has created an unfamiliar and disorienting economy and landscape. It’s not a time when you can simply do what you’ve always done. But I also believe -- based on what I am seeing from the business owners we serve -- that this landscape is one you can succeed in with the right tools.
As we’ve said before, if you are struggling to balance a reinvention of your work alongside caregiving or 24-hour-a-day parenting or attending to the deep hurt in the world and in yourself, you are not alone. There are no right answers, but my best advice is to allow the reinvention. Don’t try to do the same thing you did last year and expect it to work the same way.
Everyone’s situation is a little bit different (which is why working one-on-one with folks can be so fruitful) but I have found that there are a few things that are important for almost everyone right now.
It may be easier said than done, but here are three principles to keep in mind in this unfamiliar and rapidly changing environment:
Experiment. If what you’re doing isn’t working, keep trying new things until you find something that is. Since COVID has affected different regions so differently, something that works three towns over might not work where you are. So try for small experiments -- and then go farther in the direction of what works.
Follow your gut instinct. No one knows the answers because this is uncharted territory. But your gut instincts and wisdom come from a powerful depth and should be treated as crucial guidance. Make sure you’re taking time to reflect on your business (even if it’s just a few minutes per week) because when your nose is to the grindstone, it’s hard to see opportunities that could be transformative to you.
Get tools and support. Most business owners need coaching, peer support, comprehensive training, and inspiration… but few get them. So when you see the opportunity for supports like these, grab them.
These things aren’t easy to do on your own, though, and most business owners need a lot of support to do the kind of reinvention that is demanded of us. So several months ago, I asked myself: if I could help our makers in any conceivable way and with unlimited resources, how would I help them?
The answer to that question is a project that we’ve been building since May with all of my heart and soul. Later this week, we’re announcing the opening of that project to you. I think it’s the best thing we’ve ever built -- and I truly believe it will be a transformative way to support you in experimenting, finding your own wisdom, and getting the tools and support you need.
So keep your eye out. Help is on the way.