We’ve never been here before.

This is a sentence that keeps running through my mind. As a global collective, we’ve. never. been. here. before. It’s a strange experience that I can call my sister in Switzerland and know that we’re both home with our kids, because schools are closed for the same reason. Social distancing to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Never have I been more aware of our interconnection. That one part of our global system was compromised and now our whole system is affected.

While I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t at least a little anxious about this unknown territory, I’m also in a privileged position to consider how I can make the most of the current limitations on my movement and access to public spaces. I am one of the lucky ones who can continue to work from home, at this point, minimally impacted financially, and with the added opportunity to keep my children home with me. It’s definitely taking my family a minute to find a rhythm that works for all of us, and I imagine that we’ll have our fair share of uptake in conflict. What I’m doing is rooting myself in the idea that, if we play our cards right, we’ll emerge with more memories, more laughs and a stronger foundation.

Thinking about my business, and how I can continue to build my emerging practice, I have been reflecting on the things in our experience that we can control. What investments can we continue to make in our business, in our networks, to help us move forward into the next chapter? Into life after COVID - 19?

Here are five things you can do to help your business right now:

1. Keep building and nurturing your community. Relationships will always be important.
What communities can we each contribute to or draw on, for support, for connection, and for meaningful networking? This includes personal relationships, as well as professional. I know that a phone call, a thoughtful text, an impromptu video call, can make all the difference for friends, family, colleagues, clients, and employees. Reaching out helps us to remember that we are connected, that we are all in this together. And importantly, that we all have love in our lives.

I’ve got some phenomenal connections on my LinkedIn! People I am genuinely curious about; the work they are doing, the impact they’re having, the journey that lead them to where they are today. When I first launched my business last year, I made a promise to myself that I would reach out to several connections for conversations. I did and am so glad I did! Many of the words of wisdom from the conversations I had with these generous contacts stay with me today. Somehow, once my business started to pick up, I stopped making the time to do that. I’m using this time to set up virtual calls with people in my network. Heads up! You may be someone I’m planning to ask for a Zoom call!

2. Take this time to deep dive on an aspect of your business.

The world of entrepreneurship brings many new frontiers; if you’re doing it right, you’re probably making a lot of hard decisions. Some of them don’t feel urgent so we push them away. And yet, making some of these very decisions would probably help you scale to the next level.

Every entrepreneur has an area of their business that needs some attention. We spend so much time working in the business, that it often feels we never get to working on fundamental aspects of the business. Can you use this slower time to get to that business decision you’ve been putting off making? Do you have a good capability statement? One that clearly communicates your unique value proposition? Maybe you’ve been considering updating your financial practices (hello tax season!)? Researching options for accessing capital? Writing your marketing and communications? Updating policies and procedures? Whatever it is, get to it now.

Carve out some time to do the work, to make those decisions from an informed place, and improve your overall business impact.
How good will it feel to come out of this chapter in our lives with a few less business questions and a few more business efficiencies?

3. Ask yourself how you can support local business in any expense-related decisions.

Small and medium businesses are being hit hard by social distancing. With most of us at home and spending a lot less money, the reality is that many businesses standing today may not be at the end of this cycle. How can we support local businesses? How can we ask for what we need, as small business owners, and give what we can? I’ve been deeply inspired by the generosity of business leaders offering free or reduced-rate services to their network. What committed expenditures will we be making this year, where funds have already been earmarked, perhaps, that we can direct to a local supplier?

Whether you need to get your business cards printed or designed, order office supplies, refresh your website photography/video, or find a florist for an event happening later this year. Who can you support in your own community? Better yet, a diverse supplier in your own community? It’s International Women’s History month, can you send some business to a woman entrepreneur? Can you support a Black-owned business? An Indigenous-owned business?

These are questions we should all be asking ourselves, all of the time, but more so now. Marginalized communities are more deeply impacted by any economic downturn/challenge and this is no exception. Even if it’s a few dollars more than what may be a low cost, national/global option, you’ll spend that money knowing it will circulate in the local economy and hopefully contribute to keeping members of your community employed.

4. Research supplier diversity opportunities and how they may help your business, especially if you identify as someone from a diverse community (Gender, Racialized, Indigenous/Aboriginal, Black, LGBTQ2SI+).

Full disclosure here, one of the clients I’m working for right now is WEConnect International, a global organization committed to connecting women entrepreneurs and woman-owned businesses with global supply chain opportunities and corporate members who are looking to do business with diverse suppliers. WEConnect International is committed to moving the needle on Sustainable Development Goal number Five. While these are my own opinions and I 100% stand by the advice I’m offering, I wanted to be transparent about my relationship to this space.

In my work with WEConnect International in Canada, I get to connect with AMAZING women entrepreneurs every day, some in my network, some new to my network. And with my focus on inclusion, equity, and diversity, I am being intentional about including diverse women entrepreneurs and business owners in my gaze and outreach efforts.

In 2017, 118 countries endorsed a World Trade Organization (WTO) Joint Declaration on Trade and Women’s Economic Empowerment, committing to tackling barriers to trade that affect women, including the role of trade facilitation in providing equal access and opportunities for women entrepreneurs.
Yet today, women-owned and led businesses are still underrepresented in international trade and tend to be small and operate in the informal sector. Only 15% of exporting firms are led by women.” (Forbes Article, March 2020)

Now don’t get me wrong, becoming certified doesn’t mean that you have to hustle less, it means that your hustling will be that much more impactful, because you’re hustling in a space that is working to be more inclusive. The supplier diversity space is positioned to better understand the needs of diverse entrepreneurs and how to navigate the barriers that come from being anything but an older White male .

Take a look at the different organizations in Canada that offer a certification to business owners that facilitates access to corporations with supplier diversity policies. Some things to consider in your research:

What is the cost to certify? Is there a free option?
What’s the size of the organization’s corporate members network? Are there at least 5 – 7 corporate members in the network that you’d call dream clients?
Do you have access to a global network? (Helpful if your dream is world domination.)
What business development and capacity-building opportunities are available?

5. Feed your curiousity.

In today’s age of Google, information and answers are literally at our finger tips. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve asked Google random questions because my kids have asked me something I can’t answer. What have you been curious about? What articles have you bookmarked with an intention to read but never get to? What books are gathering dust somewhere in your home that you could pull out and read? Is your French rusty? Can you take a refresher course online? What documentaries have you been meaning to watch? Is there a certification you’ve been thinking of taking that would add to value to your business practice? What podcasts have you heard about that sound interesting? What learning opportunity can you spend time on that also fills your cup and gives you the energy to keep going?

Now is the perfect time to satiate that curiousity. While everything on your list may not be directly related to your business, a peaceful, informed, and more centered presence is a source of great power and will build your confidence in this time of uncertainty.

In the coming weeks, know that I’m sending you positive light and peace. Be compassionate with yourself, and with others around how you get through this chapter in our collective experience. Let’s keep doing our part to keep our vulnerable brothers and sisters as safe as we can.

And I’m holding a vision for you, and for me, for our businesses, that we all emerge out of this cycle stronger, more focused, more efficient, and with a renewed passion to share our respective gifts with the world.

Creating a Sense of Certainty in Uncertain Times

©Mending the Chasm

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