Lockdown Lessons Learned and Conversations on the way forward.

Realise. Reflect. Review. Reinvent. Relaunch. Lots of R words for today as we discussed some of our lessons learned from lockdown, the past few months, how our businesses, and we adapted to the sudden changes, and what opportunities we see ahead.

​I was joined by a fantastic group of local businesses to exchange experiences, and here are some of the takeaways I really enjoyed so I thought I’ll share. Some are your words, some are mine, as I try to reflect the essence of our conversations, in no particular order of importance, as it is different for each of us.

Photo of Tim & me as we realised we forgot to snap a pic in time. So here is one for the record ;)

​As you'll see, we covered much more than social media, it went way beyond, but this is why I love these conversations, it allows us to show up on so many different levels.

​Here is a video summary if you prefer to tune in and watch.

• “It was a time for me to slow things down, because if I’m relaxed, my clients can enjoy my services more. I reassessed how much I worked - I didn’t have enough time to recharge my batteries, and maybe I could work a bit less?”

 

• “I couldn’t be proactive and had to take the backseat due to family commitments. I felt guilty about not being able to be efficient both at work and with the family. It gave me an opportunity to reflect.”

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• “I joined online groups, almost too much, so now I have to cut back. There is an overwhelm in information and Zoom calls, so many things are available, and it is exhausting.”

 

• “I joined face-to-face networking groups once we were able to do that.”

 

• “I had a list of people to stay in touch with.”

 

• “I sent more emails to stay in touch with my clients.”

 

• “I first lost the flow of clients but then I shifted to starting doing online presentations.”

 

• “I think in this day and age it doesn’t matter from where you work. It’s all about going digital.”

 

• “It was the most social year of my life, as there were so many people passing by the garden and saying hi and engaging in a conversation. Sometimes I even had to go back from the garden as I could be conversing all day. I am used to working from home, but this was a great time to actually build deeper relationships with my clients, as many stayed at home, too, and it was new to them. We started talking on a different level over the phone and online.”

 

• “I realised it is good to keep some more space between my clients. We had to take extra care to keep surfaces clean, that took more time to prepare and we had to slow the pace down between two meetings. It made me realise having more space is actually good, because I can be more ready for my next client and don’t feel rushed. It is a hard balance though as you want to get busier and have more clients.”

 

• “I am better at managing my expectations, and not look so far in the future, but learn to live in the moment. But it is hard not to know what is coming.”

 

• “Enjoying nature around me was good.”

 

• “Lockdown gave me the opportunity to rethink what I want to be doing and how I can use my skills and experience to help other people. It kind of forced me into starting my own business, a career step I probably wouldn’t have considered this before.”

 

• “It made me realise how interconnected we all are.”

 

• “Time is precious. Appreciate where and how you invest your time.”

The last one was a big theme. How do we use time, to connect with ourselves, for our work, our families, the people we surround ourselves with, and as businesses, how can we value our clients time.

So many great topics, lots to reflect on, and I would love to have you part of this conversation! Maybe there is something you can relate to, or had another experience, something interesting, valuable or feel called to share?

Life is a journey. We are in it together. :) Would love to hear your thoughts!

Special thanks to Donna Wells for capturing these moments!