Life goes on!

Na na na na na life goes on, na na na na na made me strong
Got a feeling and I can’t go backLife goes on (and it’s only gonna make me strong)
Life goes on and on and on ~LeAnn Times, “Life Goes On”

Life has been full of transitions this week.

After being home for four weeks, Monday I returned to my full-time job. I made it through the entire day, exhausted, but thinking of all for which I was thankful: I had a job, I had insurance, the polyps were benign, that my kids had cleaned house, etc. I fell asleep before I got to the end of the list. Wed. we were awakened by tornado sirens and thankful that after less than 30 minutes in the basement, the Weather Service gave an all-clear for our area. Thursday night the storm was much closer and we were all tense after hearing about the devastation the day before in Chapman and Manhattan.

Add to the stunning news that Weekenders International ceased business Monday! Fashion coordinators were stunned as they logged on and saw the announcement. We emailed, phoned, texted each other to ask if it was really so. Was it reorganization or are they ‘gone?’ By Wed. we knew a bit more and the sad news was it is a Chapter 7 bankruptcy. We are still getting only drips of news from uplines.

What I find interesting is how differently individuals handle change. For some it was ‘Who Moved My Cheese!’ Others talk about a new door being opened or ‘there’s a reason, a new opportunity.’ There’s the self-centered “What’ll I do for new clothes every six months?” and the concerned “Think of all the families this has impacted!” It rocks our world and we wonder, “Who is telling us the truth?”

The piranhas are taking advantage of the misfortune. Mere minutes after the devastation in Manhattan, there were looters! I’ve been getting unsolicited emails from vultures I don’t know ‘offering fantastic business opportunities’ and begging me to join ‘their team.’ (Remember the joke about ambulance chasers?) Why I’d join them when they don’t even know what I wanted when I started selling Weekenders.

We were each slapped in the face with sudden change. While we can’t go back, we can use what we’ve learned to make us better businesswomen: to ask questions before we leap in to new opportunities; to fine-tune the skills we developed in the past; to reflect and realize it’s not always our fault when things happen.

Ob-la-di, ob-la-da, life goes on, brah!...Lala how the life goes on. ~The Beatles, “Ob-La-Di, Of-La-Da”

Getting Started

Starting is the hardest part of a new endeavor. I guess we build up walls of resistance or excuses of why we can’t do something. An inspiring presentation by Deb Payne, Lighthouse Coaching, at our monthly AWE meeting sort of pushed me to start a blog. I’ve thought about it before, but had misled myself!
Networking and sharing resources have helped me to solve problems before. Over 20 years ago when I was thrust into a new responsibility, I learned from the business practices of others by networking. As small government agencies we had limited resources, but by working together we became a team and were able to accomplish tasks together.
Networking helped me as I started my own Weekenders business. Of course I already worked with women in my full-time job and there were moms at the kids’ activities, but I needed to enlarge my circle. Reality: when you have a party plan business, there are a limited number of times you can ask the same moms to be your hostess or to come shop! I visited women’s organizations to tell them about the mix and match concept (my favorite M&Ms), the easy care/easy wear fashions, or the latest wardrobe coordinates for the season.
I soon discovered they were trying to meet more women too. Well wouldn’t it be easier if we worked together? I’ll let you know about events/topics you’ve expressed an interest in then you can share the name of a great tailor (useful for my petite customers) or where to get another service. Real networking isn’t about direct selling to each attendee, but the circle of relationships, of the give AND take, discovering who is a reliable resource person.
So starting my blog is about sharing resources and getting started. My favorite links today are what my Weekenders business offers you. My plan is for future links to share mostly articles and tips on goods/services I’ve found useful. My blogs will relate to one or more link as they are added.
If you have information to share, let me know so I can put it on my Clothesline. (Thanks again Deb Payne, I got started!)