029 - Mastering Business Resilience: Lessons from a Rainy Summer

Welcome to another episode of Women Powering E-commerce! In this journey, we explore the highs and lows of being a female e-commerce entrepreneur, aiming to inspire you to take action and achieve your own business goals. Today, we're going to talk about an unusual source of inspiration: a rainy summer in Quebec, Canada. While it may seem unrelated to business, there are valuable lessons to be learned from unexpected challenges. Join me as we delve into how adapting to the unpredictable can improve your business strategy.

Adaptability is Key

One of the first lessons we can extract from this rainy summer is that adaptability is key. Just as we couldn't control the weather, in business, you can't control every situation. The ability to adapt quickly can make all the difference between success and stagnation. Waiting for things to improve might work in some aspects of life, but in business, it's often better to act swiftly and adjust your strategy as needed.

Planning for the Unplanned

Another crucial lesson is the importance of planning for the unplanned. Much like carrying an umbrella on a rainy day, in business, you need a backup plan. It's unrealistic to expect everything to go smoothly all the time. Instead, be proactive and prepare for potential challenges. Having a Plan B ready can save you from costly setbacks and keep your business on track.

Embrace the Situation

Perhaps the most valuable lesson is learning to embrace the situation, no matter how unexpected or challenging it may be. Sometimes, the very obstacles that appear in your path can lead to unexpected opportunities for growth. Just as we found fun indoor activities during our rainy summer, in business, challenges can spark innovation and lead to breakthroughs. Embrace these moments as chances to learn, grow, and discover new aspects of your business.

Personal Growth through Challenges

It's worth noting that some of the most profound lessons often come from facing challenges head-on. Instead of shying away from difficulties, approach them with enthusiasm. By doing so, you'll develop a mindset that allows you to view every obstacle as a chance to learn and improve. This shift in perspective can transform how you navigate your business journey.

Conclusion

In this episode, we've learned valuable lessons from an unexpected source – a rainy summer. Adaptability, planning for the unplanned, and embracing challenges are key principles that can elevate your business strategy. As you embark on your entrepreneurial journey, remember that not every day will be sunny, but it's how you handle the rain that defines your success.

Thank you for joining me on Women Powering E-commerce. If you found this episode insightful, please take a moment to rate, share, and subscribe. Your support keeps us motivated to bring you more valuable content. Follow us on social media and your favorite podcast platform to stay updated on upcoming episodes. Until next time, keep growing, keep taking action, and keep powering your dreams.

Episode Transcription

029 - Mastering Business Resilience: Lessons from a Rainy Summer

(00:00):

Welcome to this episode of Women Powering Ecommerce. Join me every Tuesday and Thursday as I take you behind the scenes of my journey as a female e-commerce entrepreneur. Together we'll explore the highest the lows inspired you to take action and achieve your own business goals. So let's get started.

(00:33):

Today I want to talk to you about a business lesson I was able to extract from the summer we've just had here in Quebec, Canada. And that is, we had an unpredictable summer, also known as a very rainy summer. Honestly, it rained every single day, I think. I've never seen that. And as a result, instead of having dried yellow patches of grass on my lawn, I had mushrooms everywhere. So that was one of the things we had. But on the good side, I never had to water my plants, my potted plants outside. But that's not the point. That's not where I'm heading. I'm just saying that yes, I felt a little disappointed at times, but I'm usually now pretty good at turning disappointment around and finding the very positive in every situation. So of course, that's what I did with our summer. We found super cool inside activities to do.

(01:30):

We did not let the rain change our plans if we were going to go outside, as much as possible. So what we did, we just brought an umbrella, packed our raincoats in the car and had fun anyways. And I really like to extract lessons out of just daily life in general. So I asked myself, how can any of this be applied to business? And I found something, and I just wanted to share that with you. I decided to compare the unexpected rain, to unforeseen obstacles in business and how a change in perspective can make all the difference. So I did find a few similarities, and I find that having this habit of trying to find life lessons in everything that you come across is actually pretty good. Eventually, it kind of comes naturally and you try to learn off anything you can, which is, I think a very good benefit.

(02:26):

So a few similarities I found, strategies for adapting to the weather in business is one of the things. You want to develop a rain plan as a backup for your primary business strategy. So I think that's definitely something we should be doing. And I've learned to do a little bit more with the years, but I can still probably practice that aspect. Another thing, a similarity is tools of the trade. So the equivalent of the umbrellas and raincoats that we brought in business is maybe strong contacts, emergency funds, for example, to stay afloat during tough times. And another thing is resilience and grit. Those are two qualities that are essential in both making the best out of a rainy summer, but also running a successful business. And what I got out of this small meditation are a few, like I said, personal lessons that I extracted and I'll just share with them with you.

(03:33):

I think I have 1, 2, 3. So number one is adaptability is key. So whether it's weather or market conditions, being able to adapt quickly can make or break your experience. So for example, this summer, or not too long ago, we had some friends over that came from a couple or few hours away from here. They were excited to visit Quebec City where we live, and we just had that very short timeframe to make sure they live that experience. And you know what? It rained. So we said, well, let's make the best out of it, adapt and see what can be done.

(04:17):

And I think it goes the same for when you're in business. I have the tendency to just wait off certain situations and see if they get better. Just sometimes I'll do it in life in general, which is fine. But I think in business you just have to act quickly and just adapt quickly, move quickly. Sometimes, not all the time, but in certain situations that's just the best thing to do. So that's one thing that I came up with. And another thing is planning for the unplanned. You always, like I said, need to have a backup plan just like you'd carry an umbrella. So you have to be proactive and see possible things that would happen in the future and be prepared. You can't wait for what you hope wouldn't happen to happen. I think you need to have a plan B ready. And I've made that mistake before.

(05:16):

I've made that mistake, but I learned from it. And now I try to plan as much as possible. You cannot plan out every single thing, but at least what are the biggest probabilities, something will happen and just be ready. And the third thing is just embrace the situation. So sometimes the challenge itself offers an unexpected opportunity for growth or fun. And this is definitely my favorite because you have to learn to enjoy the ride as it comes, see the positive, and see what you can learn from it. And I would say in the last couple years, I feel like for having run two businesses now, we definitely need, I think it's not a, it would be nice to, I think it's a must if you're going to do this for a very long time. You have to learn to see obstacles and unexpected things that happen in the good way and just make the best out of it.

(06:15):

And also see how you're... And realize that you're going to grow from it and you're going to have or experience things that you would not have experienced otherwise. So that's certainly something that I'm learning to do and just loving it, the more and more I embrace that, the situations that we come across.

(06:39):

And my favorite lessons are often the ones I learn the hard way. So now I remember this, and when I find something a little more challenging and almost, I almost get excited to see what I'll learn out of it. So I think that's a very nice change of perspective you can put on a given situation. So those are just a few quick things that I wanted to share from what I learned from our month of August. And take a moment to rate, share, and subscribe this podcast or episode if you liked it. Till next time, thank you for being part of this journey with me. I hope you gained valuable insights and inspiration today to keep growing and taking action towards your goals. Please follow me on social media. Also follow us on your favorite podcast platform to get notifications every time a new episode is uploaded. See you next time.