They Wanted the Collapse Story
I wouldn't give it to them then. I won't now.
Six years ago, I wrote this.
April 6, 2020. Nobody knew what April 7 would look like. Nobody knew the DC area wouldn’t reopen until the following year. Nobody knew that words like grit and resilience were about to get redefined. That we’d find out what they actually mean when there’s no timeline, no roadmap, and no guarantee there’s another side.
What I knew on April 6th: I was running a significant business, and within three weeks, we watched our monthly revenue drop to below $10,000.
Do that math. Payroll. Insurance. Vehicles. Equipment. Rent. Ten thousand dollars doesn’t come close to covering it. And we had no idea how long we’d be sitting there.
Just weeks before, Google had been out for a full day of filming. Cameras, crew, a documentary on female entrepreneurs building something. I was one of them. And then the world stopped. Not slowed. Stopped.
Reporters started calling. They wanted the collapse story. The business owner who couldn’t hold on. I wouldn’t give it to them. Not because things weren’t brutal, but because brutal and finished are not the same thing. I’d spent years building something that could take a hit. I wasn’t going to let someone else write the ending.
What that entire chapter taught me, and what I keep coming back to every time the ground shifts again, is that your ability to navigate anything comes down to one thing. Not strategy. Not capital. Not connections.
How you choose to respond.
The article below is exactly what I wrote in the middle of it. Not looking back. Not knowing how it ended. I’m sharing it again because the world has a way of cycling. New pressure, new uncertainty, new reasons to spiral. And every time it does, I think about what my dear friend Keith Harrell always said.
Attitude is everything.
He meant every word. So do I.
Is the media driving a message of doom and gloom?
Interesting experience. Over the past several days, I have been interviewed regarding business and the impact of COVID-19. In one interview specifically, I was repeatedly asked for a “negative” sound bite and what the reporter was attempting to get me to say was a message of doom and gloom. Our business is failing, we’ve let most everyone go, we don’t see any hope... NOTE: I didn’t give her what she wanted and subsequently was not even mentioned in the interview.
DON’T BELIEVE ALL OF WHAT THE MEDIA IS TELLING YOU!
Are we struggling??!! - Of course. EVERYONE is being impacted by the pandemic. There is no such thing as a nonessential person and we are all shouldering and navigating this current situation.
This is also the time to get lean and mean as well as get smarter. Do you have a crisis plan in place? If not, get one! We have regrouped, transitioned many of our services, giving options to others for alternative types of activities for their furry companions that still adhere to social distancing protocols as well as help the pet parent provide for a safe and fun experience for their dog.
NOTE: Pet Parents - being at home constantly with your pets is not necessarily a good thing. Your pets need to get out and EXERCISE! Being constantly at home is setting you and your pet up for possible behavioral issues when all of this comes to an end. Exercise, Engagement, and Socialization (with other dogs) are the keys!
So, here is what I shared with the Reporter that she found was not acceptable to the story she was portraying.
We are down currently about 80% in monthly volume.
Our team has all been given the option to remove themselves if needed.
We are volunteering at the Humane Rescue Alliance on Mondays providing adventures! Guess what - just because a pandemic is going on doesn’t mean that the many pets in shelters don’t need exercise. In fact, they need volunteers even more!
Tuesdays through Fridays, we are providing limited services focused on our Adventures - exercising dogs out in nature while social distancing.
All days we are providing heavily discounted services to those serving on the front lines.
Finally, WE ARE HIRING! We need people who love dogs! There are many pets to exercise and there is a safe and secure manner in which to do this while observing all protocols and mandates set forth.
I challenged the reporter and kept circling back that while we are down, we will survive and our goal is to maintain a positive attitude, look for additional ways to give back, and ensure our team members are able to stay afloat. This is not easy by any stretch, but as my dear friend, Keith Harrel used to always say, “Attitude is Everything!”
Oracle let 30,000 people go. Via email.
Times are hard for a lot of people right now. The pressure is different than 2020, but the question is the same. What do you do when the ground moves?
Here’s what I know: you have an idea. The world needs your idea. Go build it.
If you need a starting place, reach out. I’d love to help.
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