Necessary endings make room for new beginnings

I moved out of my office today, almost two years to the day I moved in. It was November 1, 2018, just three short months after I took the entrepreneurial plunge and started my own PR Firm. I even hosted a Welcome VIP Reception celebrating the grand opening two weeks later and it was fantastic. So many people came out to show their support and wish me well. I have such fond memories of that gathering, and always will.

As you can probably tell, I loved having an office.

But with all the unexpected brought on by the pandemic, I finally had a “come to Jesus” conversation with myself in early October about the expense and decided it made no sense to hold on to it, especially when hardly any of my clients (or hardly anyone else in the country for that matter) were working from their offices, and I was one of very few people remaining in the co-working space as so many people leasing offices had left long ago. I decided I had to give it up. It was the fiscally responsible thing to do, given the circumstances and the state of my business even though it hurt.

But as I began going through the process, sorting things out in my head and starting to pack up, it became very clear to me that this was a necessary ending. Leaving the office symbolized a new beginning, a fresh start, and an opportunity for me to make room for something new. I had already begun to notice shifts in some of the work I was doing and the new opportunities coming my way as a result of my new podcast, various speaking engagements (The Carolina Golf Classic Executive Women’s Day and an upcoming event for Fiat Chrysler) and my journalism background and social media experience even as some of what had been my core agency work or “bread and butter” was dwindling a bit. I may have lost a longtime client because their business was suffering, but I’d gain a crisis communications engagement, or maybe a client would alert me of a need to reduce fees, but I’d land a guest blog series, something I hadn’t done in years. Those are just two examples of some of what I mean by shifting and necessary endings making way for something new. Those are opportunities I may not have been able to immediately accept, for instance, had I not lost a client.

I am sure my third year as an entrepreneur will look nothing like the first or second. I’m three months in and it’s pretty much a given. And I do believe that’s a good thing. Now, I’d better start sprucing up my new home office and talk myself into settling in. It’s going to take a little work.

Capstrat alumni at Change Agent Communications Welcome Reception and Open House – November 2018

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