I said it—it wouldn’t be a small come back, it would be a big comeback. In the world of live large events, there isn’t much room for small things. The scope and scale of what we do, by nature, is big. Think big, dream big, go big.
You probably heard live entertainment was the first shut down and last to open. It isn’t exaggeration; it’s true. I have worked in large spaces for the entire 21 years my business has existed. I built something great and almost lost it. For 33 months I didn’t have a live event. I tried everything to rethink, reinvent, and reimagine. At one point a colleague and I even tried to reinvent the entertainment industry, unsuccessfully. Zero plus zero equaled zero.
I build my business on passion. I love live music. I love the entertainment industry. There was no way to replace the live part, not that I really believed there was. The only way to come back was to open the gates, and when we did, the people came back in the big way we expected.
For the past three years it has been a head down, hard work kind of situation to save my business. I get asked how it feels to be busy again, but in reality, I personally worked twice as hard the entire time we were shuddered to keep my business viable. All that attempted reinvention was hard work.
My business survived it. I survived it.
I haven’t given myself much time to reflect on the fact I pulled myself through. I guess I worry if I let up on the pace, or ease my focus, I’ll lose some of the ground I’ve gained back. It took other people pointing some possibly obvious things for me to take a moment to shed some tears of relief and self-gratitude.
First, my accountant sent back my 2022 corporate return and noted my business made a profit again last year. Logically I knew it, because there is money in the corporate coffers again, but I was not able to process that fact and let it shift me from a red to black mentality. I am honestly grateful the entire network of people I work with behind the scenes somehow survived it so I could too.
Then, on a routine call with my bank, I made a comment about my financial recovery goals for the coming years. My banking advisor stopped me and asked me to listen to her.
“I need you to understand what you’ve accomplished,” she said. “Not just that you still have your home, or your business, but that you do it at all. It is amazing that you overcame what you did, but you need to give yourself credit for what you accomplish as an entrepreneur, and also as a woman in business.” She said she knows a lot of people who dream of having a business, but not many who have done it.
So, I gave myself time to let that sink in. I may not feel like the big comeback is fully actualized, but I know there will be a time to thrive again soon. I am proud of myself for some pretty basic things right now, like keeping a roof over my head, relative sanity, and staying out of debt. I guess I am just proud of myself. Period.
Onward.
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