As lockdowns are lifted in coming months, I think we all recognize at some level that there is no going to back to what was. McKinsey Global Institute calls what is coming in the next few months the “next” normal, suggesting that the coming year is going to be fluid and chaotic, repeatedly shifting, before we have something we can point to as normal long term.
If that is the case, and I think it is, what does that mean for women-owned business? I think we need to acknowledge and carefully prepare our businesses and ourselves for the next 18-24 months as we continue through this phase of Pause and Restart.
Right now we are still on Pause; individually, professionally and in our communities. All eyes are on the door labeled Restart. That door is likely to open and shut multiple times in the near future as we try different keys- like treatments, testing, a vaccine or push for herd immunity. In the meantime, some folks want to rush the door, others think we should paint it or oil the hinges before we open it. The vast majority of us are waiting for the right key, as we should.
Getting through the current Pause requires us to take care of our businesses and ourselves; things we do have control over. On the business side of things, we need to conserve our cash, learn about and take advantage of as many assistance programs as we can, negotiate lower expenses wherever possible and explore short-term and alternative financial models to get us to the Restart door.
On the personal side (and this is important), we need to hold self-care much higher than we normally do. We already struggle with this. Let’s be very honest, the Pause has been really stressful and we are only 60 days in. The Restart is going to require a high level of energy- similar to that which we needed when we first launched our companies. We can’t go through the Restart door exhausted or depleted and expect to make it.
Self-care will make the difference. Peer networks, journaling, meditation, exercise, eating well, yoga or even regular Zooming with friends and family are forms of self-care. The first step, however, is making the conscious decision to do these things for ourselves to preserve our joy, our passion, our purpose and our energy.
We have a small group of women-owned business having these and similar conversations at #RosieWasRight on FaceBook If you are an economic developer in my circle, I hope you will share this free resource with the women in business in your life. If you are a woman-owned business, I hope you will join us and contribute your experience, ideas and passion.
