Original post date: January 4, 2021; updated March 3, 2023
Everybody says it, 2020 has been a very challenging year.
The year started with the devastating fires in Australia then followed by California. Trump was being impeached but acquitted. The death of George Floyd sparked #BlackLivesMatter protests across the globe.
The biggest mark is it was the year the world went on its knees (so to speak) as COVID-19 takes over. We cried for those who succumbed to it, we celebrated the heroes who fought on the frontlines every Thursday by clapping, and we came together as a community helping whenever and wherever we can.
We all learned new skills from cooking to baking to sewing or knitting and many, many more.
We kept our sanity by having 'happy hour' with friends via FaceTime or Zoom.
We persevered with work through online remote meetings.
We reconnected with family and friends near and far much more often.
We also saw the economic impact on industries like hospitality, tourism, aviation, and retail, to name a few.
Uncertainty abounds.
What were the things I learned
As a small business owner, the biggest lesson I learned this year was to ADAPT as quickly as I can. Some people call it 'pivot' but in our home, we actually say 'Adapt and Overcome'.
Being a food business, we were able to trade in markets, and this year, we increased our market presence beyond Surrey to include Sussex, Hampshire, and Oxfordshire. This move helped us reach more people and create a customer base we didn't have before.
We saw the rise of 'support local' and 'buy local' in every community we were trading in, which every small business owner truly appreciates as it kept our livelihood going.
In many ways, we saw human resilience, kindness, and raw emotions.
Support from other market traders and organisers were amazing. That sense of community coming together, #TogetherWeCan was everybody's battle cry.
Collaboration. Working together and supporting each other is the stuff that makes for success, be it big or small.
Above all, gratitude to be able to continue making a living and being healthy.
There will always be challenges but perseverance and adaptability will make anyone ride the waves.
If you experienced self-doubt or felt treated unfairly, just 'keep calm and carry on'. The human spirit will prevail.