If you’ve been anywhere near a computer, phone or television in the past week, you’ve probably heard that the storm of a lifetime has chosen to roost right over North Carolina. Which happens to be where I live, in a brand new house that I just moved into this summer.
The worst part?
Last week was the week of the MDB fall retreat…the week when my entire mastermind was supposed to gather in North Carolina for three days of business strategy, coaching, and workshopping with me and the team. We had the venue rented and ready, the details ironed out, my team flying from around the country, 100 branded macarons baked to order, a stylist flying from NYC for a top-notch photoshoot, this SHIT was ON FIRE!!
And then this happened:
I had to cancel the retreat. I was crushed. Not only was it a logistical nightmare for my team to unwind the retreat, but it also meant my mastermind had to cancel flights, lodging, change plans, etc. The hardest part was that I felt like I was letting down every single one of them.
It was a very tough moment, and it was one of those times that being the boss means making the hard call AND delivering the hard news.
Sometimes, a storm is coming and there’s absolutely nothing you can do to stop it.
That storm might be a divorce. It might be that you did or said something stupid and got ALOT of internet hate (because there’s no shortage of that, amiright?). Maybe on the day you launch your new product, the payment system goes down and instead of $10K, you get $0K. Or you get sick and have to cancel an important meeting.
This shit happens. It does not matter how successful or famous or profitable or organized you are: if you’re running a business and aiming high, you are going to have storms that threaten to ruin your plans, upset your clients and destroy your revenues.
How quickly can you accept the storm and rebuild?
After cancelling the retreat, I knew that I had two options: I could do what I wanted, which was sleep for a few days, feel sorry for myself and blame it all on the weather. Or I could drink a few (dozen) cups of coffee, rally the team, batten down the hatches (literally and figuratively) and come up with a plan.
Which is how I ended up holding a virtual retreat Thursday and Friday with my entire mastermind. Bras were taken off, businesses were transformed, decisions were made, brands were defined, offers were created, steps were taken, leads were gotten. It was fucking phenomenal. And the best part was that everyone was cozy and safe at home.
Storms don’t remove our options, leaving us helpless. They just give us new and different options. They remind us that anybody can succeed in the sunshine. But it takes strength to succeed in the storm.
xo,
