Just What Are We Rushing Back To?

Think back to when you first started your business, what were your reasons for doing so? More often than not, when I ask other small business owners this question, I get one of three answers: to be able to spend more time with family, to make a difference in the lives of others and to make more money and have better control over my income. All of these reasons are very valid reasons……until they are not. I’ll get into more on that in a bit.

This COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll on all small business owners both in the financial aspect and the mental aspect. When I first started my business in 2009, I knew there would be tough times ahead of me. I was prepared for the long hours, sleepless nights and occasional discharge of an employee or two. I knew there would be trials and errors regarding what services to offer or the best procedure for those services. All of the research I conducted before turning on that virtual “open sign” for the first time had me ready for all of that. However, do you know what all of my research NEVER could have prepared me for? That punch in the gut that I felt when we were forced to close our doors and lay off 50 employees in the face of this pandemic!

Along with my virtual assistant business, we run five Missouri State License offices (yes, DMV’s are privately owned and operated in Missouri). Two weeks after the pandemic hit the Midwest and after the governor had limited social gathering to 50 people or less, I looked out into the lobby of one of our offices and counted 70 people sitting, waiting to complete their transactions. This pandemic was hospitalizing and killing people at alarming rates just one state over! How were these people, my customers, the ones essentially paying my bills not realizing that and staying home?

The longer I thought about it that afternoon, the more the rational side of me knew what we had to do. We had no idea how many of the customers in the lobby had been exposed to someone who had the virus; and we may not know for another two weeks or so. We had no choice but to close our doors to help ensure that we weren’t the breeding ground. With that decision came the realization that we were going to have to lay off 50 people! But that meant not JUST 50 employees, but 50 employees AND their families! The single moms, the families with major health issues, the college kids far away from mom and dad……we were responsible for every one of them! Their wellbeing rested on our decisions. And so, the decision was made.

Now, due to the Stay at Home order, we have been off for two weeks and are it appears at least another two, at best, before we can reopen. I see people posting on social medial now that they “can’t wait to get back to work” and “these kids are making me crazy.” But wait, wasn’t that part of why you started your business to begin with? More time with the family? So what are you rushing back to?

Now, I understand the need to return to some sense of normal, but maybe this is the time to reflect on the last two, three, ten, twenty years. Is that normal really giving you what you are looking for? When was the last time you were able to sit and have a cup of coffee while Johnny ate breakfast before school? When was the last time you had a family dinner and game night during the week rather than rush to practices, sports and meetings? When was the last time you spent an afternoon playing hop scotch or dress up tea time with Suzie?  Isn’t this why you started your own business and put in the long hours in the beginning? This time right now, to be able to give the kids a bath and tuck them into bed at night.

Maybe now is the perfect time to reflect on where you are versus where you really want to be. We are having to change the way we do business to get us through the pandemic. Who says we have to go back to normal? Maybe its time to change the normal to reflect our bigger picture. Maybe we need to delegate more to be able to get more done in less time. Maybe it’s time to set better boundaries. Maybe it’s time to really evaluate just what we are rushing back to.