4 Lessons from a small business playbook
We’ve just passed the one year anniversary — I hate to call it that, really, because an anniversary always makes me think of something positive — I’ve had a number of occasions to reflect on the past year. These reflections were either to myself, or to others, either being asked about my experiences running a business (at least trying to) in a pandemic by friends in the industry (David Lebovitz), or through updating my YouTube interview with AtlerContacts. When I ask myself “What’s changed?” the truth is, not an awful lot.
I cannot help but think about the beautifully written article from Tara Halle. In April 2020 she wrote, “Your ‘surge capacity’ is depleted — it’s why you feel awful.” This article went viral among my cohort, clearly resonating with so many, many people and on so many levels. I was one of those people. I still reflect upon it. Like so many others, Halle’s article spoke to my personal exhaustion with the fear, loneliness and insecurity this pandemic has thrown upon us. And then, it spoke to my professional exhaustion. It reminded me of the life of a small business. Those same three dark horses of fear, loneliness and insecurity continue to chase us all. They chase me untiringly. But they always have. The only difference is that pandemic has fueled their speed and aggression in a way that only a small business owner will understand. And now, it’s been a year and I still need to stay in the game.
This period has reminded, up close and personal, that having a business is unrelenting stress. Back in throes of running the day to day, there is a mental and physical exhaustion that you just learn to function with constantly. From time to time when you get too depleted, you need to go back to the “well” to refill mental and emotional needs. The stress of the pandemic reminded me to go back to that well. The trick is remembering where that on earth the well is. It’s very likely to be buried hidden under years of neglect. You might even realise that you don’t have one. If you don’t, it’s time to start constructing — because guess what — it will come in handy one day….
If you don’t have a well yet, let me share mine with you — because that’s what small businesses do best. Even in darkness, we can pass a flashlight to one another :
Take time to do nothing. One of the most impressionable books I read during the pandemic was Originals by Adam Grant. I loved the entire book, but one concept that really stuck with me was Strategic Procrastination. Pause until you have enough information to make a sound decision. On a dark road when you are lost, you don’t have to keep barreling forward. You can pull over. You can consult your maps and assess where you are. Take a moment to collect data points that will allow you to move forward, and in the right direction. Strategic Procrastination gave me a “pass” on feeling like I had to be in a constant state of agitation. It made it OK to pause and take in the world around me. It helped me to shift from panicking to really pivoting.
Use the anger.When you have spent years creating something, seeing it come to a screeching halt overnight is painful. The pain is sharp and deep. This business, that really just exists on paper, is actually an extension of your identity. It’s another appendage that aches and pains you, even when things are going well.
The pandemic swooping in and knocking me off my feet gave me the range of grief emotions, most notably anger. Julia Cameron in The Artists Way told me to use that anger. She let me sit with it, but reminded me how powerful it is. I just needed to direct it towards my creativity. She reminded me to look for outlets that help me reinforce what I do have control of: my creative spirit. If I can keep this creative spirit healthy, I can use this time to build even if I feel that things are crumbling. I have those precious moments to “think forward” — moments that when a business is fully operational, I lacked. Now it is up to me to use them.
Keep focused on the future. I recently came across Dr. Benjamin Hardy, the author of Personality Isn’t Permanent. He talks about how our identity is crafted from the pursuit of our goals, and our personality reflects that pursuit. I love that he reminds us that we are not a finished picture. Everything we do is just a brush stroke on a painting. Yet, what do we do when the goal posts have moved and worse yet, just as you start to approach them, they move again? Easy. Reassess your goals and consider new ones. It’s that easy and it’s just what has to be done. And adopt micro steps and habits to get there. James Clear’s book Atomic Habits has helped me to think about once I have set these new goals, how I can get there. And that new goal may be as small as showing up day after day — even when you are exhausted.
And lastly. One of my personal and professional role models (another very important reflection in thinking forward is making sure you have aspirational people to look to) told me to Be vulnerable. One of my favorite humans, Brené Brown told me it’s ok to be vulnerable — in fact, it’s more than just OK, it’s courageous. When every decision you make impacts not just you, but all of those in your small business ecosystem, you feel responsible for everything and everyone. And you may be, but the reality is you don’t have to know all the answers. It takes courage to admit you don’t, but what you do have is the conviction to work towards them. Furthermore, if you do think you have the answers, it’s OK to rethink them (very much looking forward to reading Grant’s new book on this topic).
Despite the uncertain times, we do have resources to keep us whole — mine happen to be consuming knowledge. Sometimes, we have to look a bit harder to find these resourses, or in my case, dust them off.
The pandemic has created many new hurdles for small businesses, and it has made the existing hurdles all the bigger, harder to jump, and with shorter spaces in between them to catch our breath. If anything, all of the challenges, heartbreak, and sleepless nights we’ve been experiencing will only make us stronger on the other end, when the hurdles become more manageable. It hurts now, but like any good exercise, it will pay off.
The trick is we dont always know how and where — but that’s up to the magic of the universe to show us.
A special note that your network is a very important part of refueling — thank you to Bryan Piroli who helped to bring this to life.
