Good riddance 2020; I can't begin to tell you how glad I am to see you go! But, even so I will be bringing a few important reflections and lessons you taught me into 2021. One thing I learned was that necessity is not just the mother of invention, she has another child, this child is called, "re-invention".
End of the Beginning
So, like many of you, I too was shell shocked by all the upheaval that found us in March of 2020. My life was cruising along and I was in the process of making a few important life changes. One of which was the purchase of a high end, online clothing business. I had been assisting the owner for a while. But, he was ready to let the business go in order to focus on other endeavors. After numerous conversations and discussions, we decided to partner; with me taking over as the majority owner. I was so excited and felt more than ready. Then boom, out of nowhere, this freakishly, sci-fi like thing happens, a Pandemic!
Traditionally, March marked the beginning of one of the best selling seasons, Spring. But, this was definitely not the case in 2020. When the stay at home order went into affect here, the second week of March, we saw and felt the impact immediately. In a matter of a few short days, sales tanked by 95% compared to figures from the previous year, March of 2019. This was devastating to say the least.
Making the Turn
But, about a month or so into the chaos, I began to hear this word, pivot. Pivot? How and what should we pivot to? I felt lost, overwhelmed, uncertain and unsure of how to proceed. Can you relate?
Well, it took me 7 months of praying, reflection, self examination and researching before I made a decision to make the turn, "aka" pivot. Really, it was more of a slight shift or 180 degree turn, lol. Instead of high end goods, the business would focus on plus size loungewear as well as, plus size athleisure wear and plus size casual wear a new Web site, aphroditiescurves.com.
In many aspects, I'm holding tightly to the hand of mother Necessity's second child, Re-invention. I'm using the skills I have to go in a slightly different direction and begin anew. I'm sourcing clothing for our new target market, finding and establishing relationships with new and reputable vendors, as well as, building creating and establishing a rapport with new potential customers.
I'm doing all of the above while also learning new tech skills, such as, utilizing various apps to edit graphics on my phone, using Shopify to build our new Web site (which, by the way, drove me crazy, lol) and teaching myself how to do self photo shoots while modeling our merchandise. (yikes!)
Is everything perfect? Absolutely not. But, I'm finding and pushing my way through. And you can too. Probe your skill set, write them down. Then examine them closely. Can you combine, or separate the things you know and expand them. Do you see areas you need to work on, that's good; pick up your cell phone and put it to good use. Not on twitter or Instagram. Instead, look for apps that you can use to help you grow your knowledge base. Most importantly, be wise in your decisions and choices. And, don't give up. .
So, are you ready to make this journey into discovery and re-invention? Me too, let's go!