When a Loss Makes You Evaluate Your Business
My business hit a pretty big milestone on June 11, 2016. It celebrated it’s 5th anniversary. A lot of small businesses don’t make it five years, but I have.
I had big plans to do a giveaway with some items with my updated logo on it, do a reveal of new logo…but then June 16, 2016 happened. When a person experiences loss in their life, things tend to stop. The world stops. Nothing else matters except what is going on right at that moment. On June 16, 2016, my 93 year-old grandmother, who I was extremely close to, passed away unexpectedly.
This was a woman who had a huge influence in my life. Every time we talked, she always asked about my business and was excited about how it was growing and what was going on. She was always amazed at technology and enjoyed getting to catch up with everyone when we showed her what was going on on Facebook.
Her funeral took place a few days later in Missouri, where she lived, so while I was there I had four days pretty much unplugged. Four days to look at what really mattered.
What I realized was…
The world didn’t stopped turning and business hasn’t slowed down because I haven’t published a blog post in forever.
Business prospects haven’t slowed because I have been less active on my business social media accounts.
Relationships and personal interactions matter more than the number social media posts you have on your business account. However, your social media posts have to be relational and interactive, not a broadcast.
I cannot stress this enough —> Word of mouth is very powerful.
Hard work and the quality of your work will always win out. And if it doesn’t at first, it will in the end.
You are not guaranteed tomorrow, so go after the big fish today. Even if you don’t catch it, at least you can say you tried.
It’s okay to go off the grid for a few days – your business will be okay.
Your peers can be an awesome safety net and provide support in times of emergencies. Value those relationships.
And most importantly…
Family always comes before your business.
Working in the business of helping businesses reach their customers via social media, I understand the importance of being there. Being on Facebook, on Twitter, on Instagram, in the moment, when things happens, 24/7/365. For my clients, I am 100% committed and always will be. For me, Mandy Edwards, as a wife, mom, friend, daughter, sister, sometimes I have to step back from that. And for these past couple weeks, that’s exactly what I’ve done. You may not have noticed on my business social accounts, but if you’ve seen me in person or know me, you’ve noticed.
Alas, we’ve come to the point where it’s time to check back in and get back to whatever this new normal is. Whenever you have a loss, you have to move on with the new normal. I know grandma wouldn’t want us all to mope around – she’d want us to not make a fuss and keep on going. So that’s what I’ll do. But with a refreshed perspective.
So very sorry about the loss of you Grandmother. Beautifully written post about working your way through it and some important realizations along the way. Totally understand with several losses that came all too close together and worked my way through also. I like to think that I have a small band of Angels watching out for me…I would bet your Grandmother is now your biggest/best Angel and watching out for you. <3
On a side note—-just noticed you are UGA Alum….me too!! We have lived in Athens for a very long time and love it…Go Dawgs! One of my favorite things to paint 🙂
Very well written article. I totally agree with your advice that everyone needs to slow down just a notch on occasion. I grew up in an era of rotary phones and no cable tv. We all survived. We wrote actual letters and talked to each other face to face to communicate. The modern technology is great, but part of me misses those days as well .
P.S. I know what you mean about that deja vu feeling about living in the 1800’s South “in another life”. I had this very nostalgic feeling the first time I visited Savannah, like I knew where the old buildings were at , etc. Who knows ?