Pandemonium in a Pandemic

Pandemic. I think that's the word that stands out in my mind when I think about 2020. It's on every news channel, social media platform, and radio station. If I never hear the acronym COVID19 again it would still be too soon. The losses that we have sustained worldwide have yet to be tallied as this has nuisance of a disease has not concluded. The stress and constant fear that is flooding the airwaves from this pandemic has put most of us in a state of mind that is less than ideal, to put it mildly.

Post Pandemic

The small business sector is reeling, tallying up its losses for quarters 2 and 3. How can we recover? How can we see past the carnage of what's left post-pandemic? Is there such a thing as post-pandemic? If so, what does that look like? These are the questions that I and many other small businesses ask themselves. Is it worth it to stay in the fight and suck up the losses or throw in the towel. The bleeding has to stop at some point. Where does that leave us?

If you're like me, this year has allowed you to take some much needed time to take inventory-literally and figuratively, of what's in excess and what is a necessity. It's allowed me to take a minute and validate who and what is most important. It has also lit a fire under me to do all the things that I said I would do and postponed because of...whatever. I think all of us would say that when outside opens up -all the way up there will be lines for days, with irritated and anxious humans ready to just do, go and see.

Leap of Faith

Circling back to what this means for small businesses, even in the midst of all of this mayhem, there can be a small silver lining. If you are a business owner, entrepreneur, or all-around hustler, that means you took a leap of faith at some point in your life to step out into the unknown. It means through it all you said "win lose or draw, I have to make this work." What this series of events has revealed is that we may have to find another "this." Makes me shudder to think about stepping out into another area of business that I'm not as familiar with. Out of my comfort zone. Some people embrace the challenge of new experiences and thrive under this type of pressure. Others, not so much.

In the coming weeks, we'll unpack specific challenges and decisions that are being made to keep us afloat during these unprecedented times. We'll also get into the other pandemic related issues that have contributed to an already boiling climate of civil unrest, and the financial impacts of all of the above.

Pandemonium. We don't get to choose the climate but we do get to plan our exodus out of here.