Our owner and founder, Kelly Carroll Burgin, shares her thoughts on how the quarantine has impacted her small business and shares her own personal reflections.
March 2020. As with all meaningful world events, we will all remember where we were when the world shut down. Our team spent the last day before the Executive Order was in place, working together to wrap up all orders, created a united social post and reached out to customers before locking the doors, unsure as to when we would open our doors again.
The message we sent said, “We will get through this together”, and while this pandemic is definitely not over, we have all made sacrifices and strides to move us forward, and we truly have done it together.
We all learn things during times of uncertainty and here are some of the things that I have learned thus far:
1. It is in our nature to want to help others.
Thank you to our customers for your patience and support over these last few months. Orders have continued to flow in, patience for shipping times continued and positive messages to our customer service. Any and all source of revenue has been like oxygen for our small business and will always be appreciated.
Thank you for to Tory Johnson and the team at ABC-TV. Your ongoing support of our small business and so many others, has been a blessing. Showcasing companies on weekly “deals and steals” has helped so many to continue moving forward, employing our staff and keeping our doors open. Thank you.
2. Family means everything.
I believe this became evident for many. We truly enjoyed the gift of unexpected time together. My two college daughters came home, and the 6 of us quarantined without too much drama (anyone with daughters can relate this is a near miracle!) We found time to relax, sleep in, dye our hair (yes, I went blue!) – and time just be silly. One of the best times our family had was when we created a game to dress up like others in the family! It was well received to blatantly mimic each other in humor. We also missed those we couldn’t see for too long. For me, it was my mother, living in senior living. We find ways to be with the ones we love – even if it is through glass doors.
3. For a small business, your team is part of your family.
And to my team, thank you for all that you’ve done to keep our business going. I don’t know what I would do without you. We’re a small group who work well together, with mutual trust and respect. We have several team members who’ve been with me over 12 years and some are only a few years new, but we all work so well together. Together we have accomplished so much, supporting each other through personal triumphs and challenges, we come out stronger and better than before.
“We will get through this together.”
