How to Run a Business (or anything) When the World is On Fire

When the world is on fire and you still need to run a business, what do you do?

When the world is on fire and you still need to run a business, what do you do?

You do both - because you can and MUST. You tend to the five-alarm fire and keep your work afloat.

Even if you don't run a business like I do, you might be wondering, "How do I _____ (fill in the blank: work, cut hair, parent, heal, wash dishes, still find joy) when this is happening?" The "this" could be any number of things, but front and center for me are the authoritarian attempts on my country.

So how? I turn to what I know and what I'm about: Values In Action. What does that look like?

This morning, I facilitated a small (but mighty) Values In Action Power Hour: Calling Congress. I reached out to Facebook friends with resources, a Loom video to navigate those resources, and a Zoom link. The invitation was to co-work while calling Congress. If they needed support, as calling can feel confrontational or trigger deep emotional responses, I was there to coach them through it. To be clear, I wasn't there to tell them who to call or what to say, but to facilitate and support the process. It's what I do in life and professionally - it's how I can contribute. And call we did.

If you know my boundaries work, you'll know that one of my definitions for boundaries is that “Boundaries are your values in action" But I had to pause. How can I do business publicly right now? Will people think I'm trying to cash in on a crisis? What about x, y, and z... because there are so many things. And also, so?

But here's my deal: My work, your work, all of the work - it's needed more than ever.

NOT doing the work means surrendering internally to the situation, and it certainly doesn't help us financially navigate or survive these times. But there's more to it. I'm sure you've heard the rally to "not comply in advance." I chuckled when I first heard that because I have a very rebellious streak that doesn't always even comply after the fact. My stand for values in action runs deep - it's in my DNA.

Continuing your good work in the face of disaster needs to be smart. Don't risk your safety, but also don't risk not showing up in the world. Even if you don't feel your work changes lives, you might still transform them, or at least impact the people you interact with. Your values - whether they're kindness, humor, compassion, justice, beauty, or equanimity - exist through your embodying and honoring them.

I think the answer is to do both. Find ways to use your voice that align with your values and skills. Do it during business hours, outside of business hours, or both if you can, like me. But do it. Run your business. Launch your work. Marry your skills and values. Unless you absolutely can't anymore, keep going.

What are your values? What are your actions?

And to the small percentage who might accuse me of cashing in on catastrophe: I'm not cashing in - I'm walking my talk.

"Do what you can, with what you've got, where you are."

- Attributed to Theodore Roosevelt, who credits it to Squire Bill Widener of Widener's Valley, Virginia

I have business to tend to, a country to not give up on, and a world deeply impacted by that. I'm getting to work. I hope you'll join me.

Queue the Tom Petty

With gratitude,

Randi