Guest post by Cass Mullane, Creative Innovator, Right-Brain Business Plan® Licensed Facilitator, Prosper Creatively, LLC
I live in Colorado and as a state we’re in the process of moving out of Stay at Home into “Safe at Home” with businesses slowly phasing back into operations. Let’s hope for a smooth transition.
COVID-19 has been a real kick in the teeth.
It’s totally disrupted our world and our sense of what is normal. It’s taken people we care about. It’s showed how unprepared we are, how fragile our health care system is, how delicate our economy is and how heavily we rely on others to “take care of things” for us. It’s also put a glaring spotlight on how little we plan for contingencies and save for the unexpected in our society.
As a small business owner, it’s been a double-edged sword. On the one hand, I was rather surprised when a large percentage of my regular small business clients decided simply to tuck in and wrap themselves up in both the disruption to their lives and in the fear around not knowing what’s coming. In addition, the building that houses my art studio and office closed to the public. Obviously, all of this negatively affected my monthly revenues.
COVID-19 has been a real gift.
On the other hand, I get to Hit Pause and Reset. I have the chance to really practice what I preach and take the time to scrutinize how I was doing in my business and my life. Because I tend to look ahead and plan, I am able to remain calm and nimble. I’ve taken advantage of the opportunity to exercise my creative muscles and figure out how to replace at least part of the lost income. I’ve learned how to do live art classes online and was able to get them up and running quickly. I’ve revisited my coaching programs and have refined what I’ll be offering once people come back out of their shells. I continue to stay focused on what is really important and take a lot of the other stuff off my plate. As a result, I find I have more time to make my own art and just to BE.
The non-profit arts organization I chair jumped on the available funding opportunities and was able to keep the staff employed even though the building was closed to the public. They continue to look ahead and come up with creative ideas on reimagining the organization, re-engaging our community, and restarting normal activities like First Friday openings and art walks as well as classes and events. Lots of rules, restrictions, and rigor are required to make our facility a safe environment for the public and staff as well as the 80+ artists that have studio space in the building. But the mindset is ‘we’re in this together’ and we’ll do what it takes to come back strong.
So, what are you doing now to help get your business into a new normal once your Stay at Home orders are lifted? Here are three suggestions:
1. Do Stop, Start, Continue exercises on your business and on your life
2. Focus on doing less and doing it better
3. Simplify
This is a great opportunity to set some new expectations and new standards of what you will accept and what you will no longer tolerate. Whether it’s new expectations and standards for your business, your life, your politics, your family, your friends or for yourself, take the steps necessary now to start implementing the changes. Take advantage of the time to Hit Pause and Reset.
©2020 Cass Mullane – All rights reserved
Like many great innovators, Cass Mullane has the unique combination of being a strong creative as well as a strategic thinking MBA. After departing the corporate world in 2004, Cass built a thriving business and personal coaching practice that focuses on accountability and solid business skills for right brainers and creatives. She specializes in helping you tame your Mind Monkey™ while enjoying healthy doses of creativity and play in your business and your life. Tapping into this whole-brain approach has helped to make Cass a highly valued coach with an international clientele.
Cass’ new #1 International Bestseller, The Cool Stuff Jar: Three Simple Ways to Live a Happier Life, is available on Kindle! You can also follow Cass on Facebook!
