Happy New Year 2023 everyone! This is my first Weekend Coffee Share in a long time. My last one was on May 8th, 2021 – The Rituals for Resilience Edition.
Business owner
The last two years were some of the busiest and most challenging yet. It was a time for firsts, dream realization, and grabbing opportunities with both hands when they arose – I became a business owner by acquiring the shareholding of the company I’ve worked for since 2015.
2022 was a year of recreating the company and rebuilding the team after the toll Covid took on everyone. Some people left and moved on to other things, and others remained and worked with me to rebuild a stronger more resilient business. Strengthening this resilience continues this year. I feel excited.
In-person classes
2022 also marked the year that I resumed in-person classes and travel, international and local. I still do virtual classes and the scope of these is wonderful – ‘virtual’ gave me new markets across the globe, and teaching new groups of people from different cultural backgrounds has been interesting, as I learned to adapt to each one.
Travel resumed
I traveled to Cape Town 6 times, Durban 2 times, Berlin once and Lisbon once. Exciting stuff. I had to relearn my old hacks for travel – things like packing efficiently, the airport process, juggling weight, and heavy bags, when not to take a carry-on bag on the plane (usually within Europe), and how to take a carry-on bag that won’t be flagged to be removed at boarding, and so on and so forth.
A lonely year
It was also a lonely year and by this, I mean that, when I was a part of a team of peers, we had each other to talk to, commiserate on difficult client situations, and together collaborate to create new educational and coaching content and just generally support each other. I don’t have this now, and my peers are other business owners that I need to find. People who know sleepless nights, waking up in a cold sweat worried about the business, paying salaries, and looking for new ways of bringing in new business.
Vacation!
In spite of all of this, I’ve taken time to be on vacation – since mid-December – enjoying the hot weather, the pool and the rain storms. The cats are happy because they have both of their humans at home, with Chè on vacation as well. Christmas was the usual family affair. New Year celebrations were a bit subdued as most of the family opted to celebrate in their own homes.
Christmas 2023
This year though the cousins from Portugal are planning on spending Christmas in Cape Town, so that will be different in all aspects; and I’m looking forward to it.
Reading
I read Hanya Yanagihara’s A Little Life and it evoked so many emotions. I was heartbroken and devastated and happy all at once. It was a treat to read such beautiful writing, a deep and moving story that I still can’t get out of my mind such that I’m re-reading some portions.
That is it for this week’s coffee share. It was good catching up with you.
Until next time,
Regina
Sounds like a really busy time in your life with the business. Nice to meet you though the Weekend Coffee Share. Happy New Year! Karen
Hi Karen, thanks so much! I missed last week’s one but I’m about to post one this week. Looking forward to sharing coffee with you this week.
Hi Regina,
This is so exciting, you being a new business owner I mean.
I’ve started and ran 2 businesses and the best part was how much you learn despite how much you worry.
Please share more and you wade through these waters. I think you’re going to rock as a business owner. Clever minds are like that.
All the best, congrats and best wishes for success and fun.
Gary A Wilson recently posted…New Short Fiction :: The Quiet Love and Wisdom of Melvin
Ah, thanks so much Gary. I really like what you said about learning despite the worry. Wishing you a great week ahead.
Happy New Year Regina! And welcome back to weekend coffee shares. It’s so nice catching up with all you’ve been doing and congrats on your business/work stuff. Sounds like it is all going very good. It’s funny how different roles are as you mentioned being lonely since there is no co-workers and you need to find other business owners. I can relate in the sense my old job 2 years ago I was the supervisor of a busy department in a veterinary laboratory. I had so many responsibilities and other supervisors to talk with and support. I left that job and am working at another veterinary lab but I’m just a tech in my department with very little responsibilities compared to the other job. My emails shrank to almost nothing and I’m not in the loop with the goings on like I was. Crazy how things can change when roles change at work. Anyways, just thought of sharing that with you and I hope you have a wonderful week ahead!
Thanks for sharing it does resonate with my situation.
Feeling like one belongs to a group is so important and freeing as well, and the power of community to help this.
I attended a few business networking meetings last year, and this helped to a certain extent. Hope you also have a wonderful week and wishing you good weather.
Congratulationsand lovely to have you back. I think you’re writing had also stepped up a notch, something else to add to your list of achievements
Ah thank you Pam! I’m glad to be back writing. I’ve missed it and realised over the last months that it’s an important part of my self-care.
It is nice to have you back and to hear all you have been up to. The pandemic caused mayhem to a lot of businesses, I am glad thatnyou are soldering on. I wish you the best in tge future.
Thanks so much Mabel. I am also glad to be back and catching up with your posts.