Managing the Unknown and Uncertainty of Running a Business During a Pandemic

Happy summer, everyone! This year, summer’s going to be a bit (ok, A LOT) different for most of us. While cities and provinces are stumbling through various stages of re-openings, Covid-19 is still lurking out there, and we still won’t see a vaccine any time soon. 

If what’s happening in the United States right now is any barometer, there’s a good chance we will still experience periodic flare-ups of Covid, and we may even see rolling shutdowns again, depending on the severity of these flare-ups and the resultant strain on the health care system.

Look at me, all doom and gloom! LOL Seriously though, we have to be honest with ourselves as entrepreneurs and business owners and anticipate - and prepare for - ebbs and flows when it comes to business.

That said – as I said above - it’s summer!!! The warm weather is such a balm for the soul, and certainly helps alleviate some of the strain that came with late winter/early spring lockdowns and self-isolation. I hope you sit back, wherever you are, put your feet up for a bit, and enjoy the ‘love of life’ that comes with outdoor life and sunshine.

To keep the positivity flowing, because you know my goal is to elevate the spirits of the Self Made Nation, I’ve been catching up with some of the entrepreneurs and business owners who've already appeared on our show, to see how they’re keeping their companies afloat and the economy moving. And yes, I'm going to be doing my very best to pose the same questions to each of the guests I circle back to over the next few weeks.

Why am I doing this? Because the way we live and do business is evolving very quickly. And I am passionate about connecting and supporting those of you who are members of the Self Made Nation. You're the engine of our economy, and personally, I want to see a more self-reliant Canada.

Meet Elizabeth Kilvert

This week on “I’m a Millionaire. So Now What?” I caught up with Elizabeth Kilvert, a certified Oleologist (a sommelier for olive oil) and owner of "The Unrefined Olive."

Elizabeth has quite a background! She’s worked on four continents and in numerous countries. Her roles have included Community Development Officer, Director of Education and Community Outreach, researcher, scuba diver, organic farm certification officer, microbiologist, public analyst, science outreach advisor, volunteer coordinator, citizen science coordinator, entrepreneur, business owner and sole proprietor.

Phew! To say she’s packed a lot into her life is an understatement!

She finally burst the federal bubble of her public service career and launched her business the Ottawa in 2012. It has since grown into two storefront locations, one in the Glebe, and one in Kanata. She has created a wonderful clientele, of home cooks, chefs and people who love to eat, individuals seeking nutritional information and anyone who happens to venture into one of the two stores.

Elizabeth and I connected on June 5, and I asked her to share her thoughts and feelings around being a business owner in these uncertain times. I’ll let her words do the talking!

On the Day to Day Uncertainty Facing Business Owners

“I think the thing I was trying to wrap my head around is this is generally the time of year that we have to start thinking about the holiday season! And to wrap your head around thinking about November and December, when really, we’re looking at the public health situation, the numbers, day by day and week by week. That was something I think that it took a lot of mental energy. And I think finding that balance right now - because there is no pattern, no normal while people are working from home. It used to be if it's a sunny Saturday, you're going to be busy. If it's a rainy Sunday, you could be quiet, but there's no sense of patterning now. So, nobody knows where revenues are going to land. You have fixed costs, like rent, but the hard thing is where you bring salary into it, because you want to bring people back into the workplace. But it's not just that the revenue has to be there, from a business perspective, but that also means the work has to be there for them to do. So we said we'll give it the month of May, and the month of June because everyone's still on CERB, and then see if we can kind of predict from there. And I think that's what it is. It's the predictive models of how to conduct yourself. The next month, two months, four months, six months, a year.”

On Pacing Yourself to Avoid Hitting the Metaphorical Wall

“I really believe in implementing how we're going to conduct ourselves and letting it run for a month, and then making adjustments. So not being reactive, because I think we have to pace ourselves. People that I know in small business are saying right now that it's a really heavy mental weight. How to organize and conduct yourself. We give a lot of energy, especially those of us in bricks and mortar because when people come in to pick up, you know, their loaf of bread, their floral arrangement, they're balsamic, they've done the transaction online, so they're there to interact with YOU. You're having a lot of amazing conversations, but it's still intensive and you want to give them all of your energy. You have so many pulls on your energy. You work, you work, you work hard - and it's not by any means a complaint because we're really happy to be operating. And because we've built a community of support around us, that community is coming back to support us. So, we’re really fortunate.”

Inspiration and Motivation

“I love the moment when I put the key in my door, and I see one of my neighbors putting their key in the door and we wave, and we just talk. Talking to the other people (business owners) and having those really wonderful conversations, because we can just go straight to the meat of the conversation because we know how we're all feeling. We can have a laugh, we can share the worst customer behavior of the day. We have some doozies! That camaraderie, knowing that we're all in this together and that we support each other, and I think more than ever to remind each other that we get to decide how we conduct ourselves at this time - what is physically and mentally doable for us. And sometimes you think it's going to be five minutes and an hour later you're like, ‘I really should get home or on to my next thing!’ But that's the bright light.”

Where Elizabeth is Doubling Down

“Honestly, being continually present, whether it’s instore, on the phone, through email - realizing that there’s still a person in front of me - you get my full attention. If I'm delivering a package to the door, to make that time for them, because everyone wants to have a visit, see how you're doing and just connect, right? We've lost those spaces of connectivity and connection. You know, it's Zoom wine dates, and it's a social distance, visit in the driveway. People truly want to connect to our space, have it become a space of interaction, and they get 100% of me.”

Elizabeth is super fun, and so honest about the toll this economically unsettled time can take on all of us if we’re not careful – I hope you’ll take a few minutes and have a listen to the podcast itself.

And, I hope you come back next week, and the week after, and the week after that, and meet other guests who have previously appeared on “I’m a Millionaire. So Now What?”

Plus, if you are craving like-minded conversation with growth-oriented business owners, consider joining me and eight other business owners, investors and entrepreneurs for our next edition of Elevated Conversations taking place (virtually!) on July 6th.

The next topic is an ode to gathering! Seems appropriate, no? J  You can learn more about it - and register - here!

And please reach out if you would like to connect. I’d love to tell your story! You can drop me a line here.

“I’m a Millionaire. So Now What?” is brought to you by Double to Sell - Canada's Premier Invitation-ONLY workshop for business owners wanting a cash-rich exit in 10 years or less. For more information, or to register, please visit the “Double to Sell” website.