Own a Small Business? Four Ways to Stay Inspired During the Pandemic

The world is a different place than it was on the eve of 2020, especially for small businesses. To survive, you need to be flexible, creative and inspired. So how do you do that, exactly, during a worldwide pandemic?

zoom chat

The world is a different place than it was on the eve of 2020, especially for small businesses. To survive, you need to be flexible, creative and inspired. So how the heck do you do that during a worldwide pandemic?

I've got three of my friends/ small biz owners/ Mums here who are managing to grow in an uncertain economic time. We want to share our advice with you because we believe in bringing our Sisters along with us.

All four of us are all finalists in a National Business award for women who are also Mothers (so we have lots of other priorities, too). 

zoom talk

We want to lift you up. 

Four of us gathered for an inspiring zoom chat on Friday. We spoke about everything from branding to marketing to community and creativity (which is of course, what I’m most interested in) so get your notepad out.

Here’s what we had to say about staying creative and inspired.

 

1. Recognise that you ARE Creative

Humans make things for survival so we are all makers. It’s important to acknowledge that even if you are the queen (or king) of spreadsheets that you are still creative. It takes all kinds.

Jenn of, Social Media and Marketing with Jenn Donovan, claimed she didn't have a 'creative' bone in her body but the three of us quickly pounced on her to disagree. Jenn is highly clever, innovative and intuitive- as you need to be in marketing. Once we dug a bit more we, and Jenn herself, realised that she draws inspiration from the world around her- and she actively seeks it out too.

Podcasts, books, and paying attention to other talented marketers are what helps Jenn fill her brain then she needs to give herself time to download it all. For Jen, that can look like spending an hour just writing down ideas. It’s a vital process for her to stay current but also give herself time to think and plan.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CD2O8M7lbiJ/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Get your ears onto Jenn's podcast here.

2. Pay Attention to Where You Want to Go

For Sarah, owner of Alined Design she studies (gets lost inside) Pinterest for visual inspo. She also belongs to several online communities where she can keep up with people who are the best in their field, and that inspires Sarah to keep reaching. Her business is growing and she’s always on the lookout for how to improve the experience for her customers, and sometimes that means paying attention to her own experience as a consumer. If she gets excellent service, she tries to implement it in her own business in some way.

Sarah would much rather continue to serve her own loyal customers than constantly hunt for new ones; she understands the importance that not only great design, but great service, and great relationships, play in small business.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CDuoJNelgI0/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Find Alined Design on Insta, Facebook and LinkedIn

3. Join a Community

For Janelle of Buy From Tasmania, it’s all about her own backyard. If COVID taught her one thing, it would be the importance of supporting her local community. With Hobart’s infamous markets closed to the public, Jenelle set herself the task of creating an online marketplace that was more about making connections than making profits. She sought to serve not only vendors and consumers but her community, the environment and her children's futures.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CDiLNYuhDAt/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Find BFT on Instagram here.

4. Take Breaks

Being an Artist/ Overachiever is a conundrum in itself. I’ve experienced burnout and mental health consequences of no boundaries, not being able to say no, not shutting off and not leaving time for myself. I’ve learned that making time to potter is essential to my creativity. Turning off my business brain for a while is essential to my creativity. I need to fill my tank with seemingly unrelated things like walks, music, food, play, even cleaning (so many treasures to find in an art studio). When you work in a business that is also your passion, sometimes you don’t know when to stop. If this is you, schedule downtime if you have to. Go take a hot bath, or gaze at the clouds. Daydream. Give inspiration the space to drop in.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B_Gqq06BV8Z/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Something all four of us have is that we are life-long-learners. We absorb inspiration from our worlds because we are doing our soul work and we are always hungry for more. I think we can stay focused, passionate and in love with what we do because we’ve finally been able to create businesses that offer our individual gifts.

There is something special about running a business that you love. We feel connected to and absorbed by the world around us, and we see how our services and our clients fit into that world. When you are able to have freedom, create boundaries, and do your soul work, it allows you to draw inspiration from everywhere (including COVID lockdown!)

Jenn's parting words of wisdom

If you want to support small businesses, go past page one of Google! There are some fantastic small, local businesses on the next few pages. Go treasure hunting!

What will your next step be?

 

Sarah Crawford

A Lined Design

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Janelle Larkin

Buy From Tasmania

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Jenn Donovan

Social Media & Marketing Australia

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Dawn Rieniets

Kangaroo Spotting

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Dawn Rieniets is both a visual artist and brand copywriter. She uses her MA in English, journalism and sales background to craft engaging brand identity copy for small to medium-sized businesses (SMEs) globally.

Dawn exhibits artwork independently and with groups; Thou Art Mum and Melbourne and Victorian Artists (MAVA). In her online store, you can find original pieces, wall art prints, and other home decor. A few times per year she accepted personalised and sentimental art commissions for clients.

Dawn creates out of her home studio in Wurundjeri country, the Northern Suburbs of Melbourne.
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