How to #flip2flourish out of a Pandemic

COVID-19 has been the theme of 2020 so far. It has shaken our world the way we knew. Businesses and entire sectors have collapsed like ninepins. This was not a transition which the world was anticipating in any way; it has been a rude disruption. But many are determined to come out of it and reimagine their businesses. With sheer grit, imagination, and support of their ecosystem.

In conversation with their mentor Norah Casey — four female founders from around the world came together to share their #flip2flourish stories. Stories of resilience, emotional acknowledgment, and self-leadership.

The cities may be different, the businesses may be very different but all of us went through the same phase with one common factor tying us together — our mentor.

Taking a plunge into the minds of female founders, there lay a story in every transition.

1. Experiencing and Acknowledging Emotions

Transformation is not an emotionless experience. And acknowledging it is just the first part of experiencing it. Going through the 7 steps of negative emotions might seem fruitless, but it is a healthy way to confront the loss you face. Building on our resilience quotient, instead of avoiding our emotions is the first step.

It’s good to do a mental health check-in every morning. There were several stages of emotions in the pandemic. What started out as grief slowly turned into anger and kept burning.

Acknowledge our own emotions — only then will we be able to clear our mind space for new thoughts to come in.

And it’s not just us — it’s our team facing them too. Engage the team. Talk, communicate, and let it all out. We can only build our strength to withstand disaster when we learn to accept what we feel.

This is what helped us to move on — coming face to face with our emotions.

2. Reaching out to Ask for Help and Extend Support in our Ecosystem.

Sometimes asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s intelligence. Like Bevin Mahon said, “Ask and you’ll be surprised by the amount of help you receive.”

The phrase — ‘No (wo)man is an island’ is coined for a reason. We do not have to do everything on our own. Sometimes, the only way out is to turn to people for support and guidance.

That’s what we all did to survive and sail through the pandemic. The biggest learning from the pandemic was the art of ASKING. The universe is very generous, it always gives us what we ask for.

3. Seeking Mentorship

All our businesses were very different. We lived in different parts of the world. Our struggle to switch things to online was different too. But we all had one thing in common, and that was Vital Voices.

A mentor and mentee network that we all looked to for support. With our mentor, Norah Casey to guide us, we were able to focus on what really mattered.

We could all agree with Jacqueline when she said — “The Vital Voices community helped me a lot, having someone to listen to was also very helpful”

Besides, having a powerful network of guidance and support can make or break a person, and their business.

4. Empathy and Compassion — for self.

This is a very important perspective to look at things. Your baby may be very dear to you, but it’s also important to look at the wider picture. It’s like they say before take off on a plane — secure your own oxygen masks in case of emergencies before helping others.

We need to take care of ourselves first before we offer help to others. As entrepreneurs, we have bills and salaries to pay, families to take care of and the future to plan for.

We need to protect what’s closest to us first. We need to make sure our company is okay before offering a helping hand to another. This is not an act we need to feel guilty about. We need to build ourselves back before we can become an anchor for someone else — otherwise, we’ll both crumble.

5. Yes To Digital

It’s like Norah said — ”The answer is digital, now what’s the question.” In a world that was forced to lock up its doors, the only way to keep our companies still sailing was on the digital platform. The first step was realizing that going digital was the solution. The next was figuring out how to solve the problem.

Whether it was running a dental solutions company or reworking a sustainable travel brand, it had to all be reinvented. It had to be done online. The rules of the business had changed and evolved. In 2020, the only way to visualize your business is to do so on a digital platform.

6. No Baking Bread, We are Burning the Midnight Oil

Prioritizing is the key role here. Like Shilpi said, it’s okay to move on from the role of a nurturer to the role of a warrior. This is what helped us motor through. It is okay for things to take a backseat when other greater things demand more of your attention.

Some people can afford to bake bread and learn cooking; but for us founders, that is not the priority when the world is crumbling around us. And it’s important to know that it’s okay not to do what others are doing. It’s okay to let the household chores take a backseat. It’s okay to put work first.

It is only when we accept that we don’t have to make excuses anymore. We need to prioritize and get things done. If this means spending more time running a business than your house, that is okay.

7. Collaborating

Now that we’ve acknowledged we aren’t alone. It’s time to build together. Collaborating with local businesses, small and big communities goes a long way. We all collaborated with Vital Voices to stay afloat. Dental Tech Group teamed up with Studio4. Two small businesses going through the pandemic helped each other sail through it.

That is the beauty of collaboration. Reaching out to other businesses and communities helps you understand each others’ struggles while also building together and helping one another. A mutual, symbiotic connection.

8. Time for Self

It’s like Aida said — “The slow-burning eureka moment for me was that despite what was happening around me, one thing needed to be grounded, and that was ME.”

There may be a hundred fires to be put out but we also need to focus on ourselves. Taking time out of our busy day for some self-care goes a long way. Not just for oneself but for the people around us and our business.

Some walking, exercise, meditation and just enjoying the calm. It’s only when we calm our mind, body, and soul will we gain the clarity to think clearly and make rational decisions. It’s only then will we be able to win the battle while staying calm.

Want to watch the whole webinar? You can do so here!