Ladies of Influence's first Zoom mixer (Image: Elizabeth MacLeod)
Saint John’s businesswomen are pivoting, adapting and supporting one another during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Our community is staying strong because everyone – local businesses, the local workers, these frontline workers – is keeping our city moving,” says Terri-Ann Richards, administrator of the Ladies of Influence networking group administrator and owner of Balance Equation Coaching & Consulting.
“There is so much heart, and I know the entire community feels the same and definitely gives you a new perspective for your local community,” she says.
Richards spotlights the efforts of women like Amy McLennan, who created a Facebook support group for women home with their kids during the coronavirus crisis. Women like her are rolling up their sleeves and getting to work, creating places of support during the pandemic.
“Women who are working from home and have young children are trying to figure out how the heck you still work, and take care of children and potentially do homeschooling,” says Richards.
Administrator and entrepreneur Terri-Ann Richards (Image: Elizabeth MacLeod)
A resource like Pandemic Parenting is like an oasis in the desert of quarantine for frazzled parents trying to maintain a working-parenting balance.
“It’s so cool to see somebody who probably has figured out how to work from home and take care of children and make it all work out, then to take that and give those resources away for free to the community so people can figure out how to pivot and make this happen right. It’s awesome,” she says.
Richards has also been working overtime helping businesses pivot online. The services offered by her business Balance Equation Coaching & Consulting have become in demand during this uncertain time.
“There are so many people that have basically taken what I would call their ‘genius zone’ and, with the combination of technology and heart have figured out a way to still serve the community and show up,” says Richards.
She sits down with her clients and talks about the practicalities of their businesses, covering issues such as cash flow, cutting and managing expenses fast, and looking at what grants and subsidies are available to help keep them afloat.
Richards is a knowledgable mentor with more than 15 years of business management, operations and consulting experience. She’s also weathered the ups and downs of running her own businesses.
“I’ve been through eight different businesses in my life. I’ve had to pivot and change trajectories and bring in mentors and coaches of my own and learned very quickly that I needed to be agile,” said Richards. “My ability to think outside the box is now helping them also think outside the box so that they can pivot their business.”
Byers Boutique owner Renee Outhouse (Image: Elizabeth MacLeod)
The Ladies of Influence Networking Group has pivoted their monthly in-person meetups to virtual mixers on Zoom This month’s meeting was hosted by Renee Outhouse, owner of Byers Boutique, with an informal Q&A where entrepreneurial stories and coping strategies were shared.
Erin Eagles, a financial advisor with Sun Life, told the group the current crisis will change the way she advises clients.
“I’m going to put more emphasis on making sure that people have an emergency fund set up … so that they have a month’s worth of income [in reserve],” says Eagles. “It can be putting away $50 a week, a month, something that’s reasonable, but something everybody needs to have.”
Women in all walks of life, not just businesswomen and entrepreneurs are stronger together, and Saint John’s women are coming together in a way Richards always envisioned them doing.
“They are holding hands virtually and rising up to the occasion, both for each other, but also for the community. Saint John, Atlantic Canada, Canada as a whole will be that much stronger because of the backs and the hearts of small business,” she says. “This is going to be the memory that in 10, 15, 20 years you look back and see, this is how a community rose up together.”
This story was originally published on Huddle.Today – an Acadia Broadcasting Limited content partner.
