A highly valued client sent me the motivating words, “And remember…everything that doesn’t break you makes you stronger! A clichéd life wisdom, but I hold it close. As an entrepreneur and as a human being, I don’t break down, so I get stronger. A kind of Descartes 3.0
The insurer I wrote about in the previous blog also seems to be applying ostrich politics this week. I fear it will come down to legal action, which, by the way, is already in the works. Unfortunately, a complex route because we are dealing with international law here. At times I curse the way things are but it helps so little. The inability to do anything for my own client has been and continues to be a big chunk of frustration.
My healthy adult calls back to me ‘Pick your battle’ and what you can no longer influence let go for a moment and return to your being. Tricky for me as an entrepreneur, but breathe in and breathe out. Saving forces. I shift the focus to the scenarios of upcoming months as an entrepreneur in my business. Chinese astrology really had a great year in store for all of us at the beginning of 2020: ‘It is a dynamic year, with a focus on new relationships, fine encounters, convivial gatherings and successful ventures’. The Chinese wisdoms unfortunately gave way to a whole lot else from the land of the rising sun but dynamic it became…
I fear that my business revenue will remain stagnant this entire year. No more events abroad. So very tough weather. Nothing no rising sun. I simply work an industry that will be one of the last to reboot and then our niche is still somewhere in the back of the caravan. No TOZO, no partner. Despite heavy cuts in equity, there are (as yet) no financial concerns. Also somewhere a proud feeling. With good entrepreneurial years behind them, there is the familiar buffer. As in the previous crisis, it will probably evaporate completely and even then the world will not end.
How do I deal with uncertainties in this day and age? I remember the feeling when, as a child, I drew the wrong card at a game of Monopoly ‘Go back to ‘start’, you will not receive 200 guilders’. Gigantic baleful at the time, but combative character traits emerged from my subconscious. Nice to feel. I also try not to let the turmoil get to me too much. It doesn’t accomplish anything in this way. It is what it is and moving on.
Looking for new points in the future and I also hold myself up to the light of day. Sixteen entrepreneurial and life years on. Has my company moved appropriately with the times, with customers and with technological developments? More importantly, where are my current needs? I will have to create a new form of entrepreneurship in a new landscape with a huge nostalgia for normal, because I am so done with that “new normal” by now. I want to meet people again, bring people together. No more zooms and teams. Nice to get back out into the world.
I’m thinking about scenarios on the horizon this week. What is possible and what has become impossible in my industry? What do these outcomes mean for my business operations? Do preferences change forever or are they temporary? Will the risks be weighed differently by customers? Will people pay more for hedging or is a competitive price still an important pillar? Will the legislation be amended? I have enough time to work on my business strategy, to make my company more flexible, to discover which buttons to turn and which not. Every event also has its beauty, something of appreciation and everything happens for a reason. Despite longer than desired, I realize that this phase is temporary and insurmountable. I’m going to look for the positive and challenging aspects and one thing I know for sure, I’m going to cash in on my client’s empathetic words and I’m going to come out of this stronger! Secretly hoping that Chinese astrology will still come out this year.
At the request of MICE & Business Travel, Marije Breuker, founder of Motivation Travel keeps a weekly diary about her experiences during the corona crisis. This is part 2.
