Today I found myself reflecting on all the business reinventions I’ve done over the years. They were all ignited because of a major event that caused me to pivot.
1993 — The e Coli crisis hit at Jack in the Box Restaurants, taking the lives of children and causing horrible health consequences for so many. I was the local marketing manager for the Seattle areas at the time. Needless to say, that event brought the restaurant chain to its knees. No amount of local restaurant marketing was going to solve that problem quickly. It was heart-breaking to leave as I had worked proudly for that company for ten years.
1997 — My only son was born. Right away, I knew that doing the daycare shuffle wasn’t my favorite dance. I sold myself as a copywriter to some top Seattle area companies so I could make money and also spend time with my son.
2001 — The Twin Towers went down. Time to kick things up a notch and find some way to navigate a new world. I started a boutique public relations agency and got to work with banks, chocolatiers, and celebrities to prepare and share their stories in the media.
2008 — The Great Recession happened, My public relations agency crashed right with it. I wrote Bye-Bye Boring Bio on a dare from a friend to help folks get hired as consultants quickly since so many had been shown the door. That book saved my bacon at the exact time I needed to bring it home. Time to learn to speak from the stage, learn how to do online marketing, and bring the world to my internet front door.
2018 — Life hit the fan for me in a bunch of ways. Home burglary, illness in the family, friends divorcing, and so much more. Hubby and I created the Life Goes On Roadmap system for personal financial information organization to support other families dealing with similar things. LIfe is what happens while we are making other plans. No doubt about that.
2020 — Corona Virus hits. The world turned on a dime again. We are sheltering in place, working from home, and questioning what the new normal will be and when it will emerge.
Resilience.
Resourcefulness.
Grit.
Tenacity.
Kindness.
Compassion.
Creativity
Service.
New Ways to Serve.
It’s time for all of that and so much more.
‘Looking back’ is a good exercise to remind me that I’ve found ways to rise up from challenging times in the past.
I have found ways to reinvent so I can serve, grow, and add value as I make my way in the world.
If you haven’t done this ‘looking back’ exercise yet, that’s a good ‘work from home’ project to take on right about now. Look for recurring themes that remind you about your best work and how you can make a big impact in your own best way.
Your best next step may soon reveal itself.
That might be the breakthrough we all need to know about right now.
I’d love to hear about the new ideas that come up for you.
