Finding Personal & Professional Growth Opportunities, Post-pandemic.
I this episode of SLOWMO, Nicole chats with Bonnie Nawara, CEO of G.R.O.W., a West Michigan organization that focuses on empowering small businesses and helping them achieve their dreams.
Whether you’re a small business owner or simply looking to grow your confidence, you won’t want to miss these valuable tips from Bonnie and Nicole.
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“A Proble-Tunity”
Growth is a basic human condition. When you stop learning and growing, you lose your purpose. Even in the midst of a pandemic, people continue to better themselves, whether that means growing in patience with cooped-up family members or learning new online skills.
As Nicole likes to say, this pandemic is a “proble-tunity.” Yes, there are many problems when it comes to working from home and being isolated from friends and family, but there are also ample opportunities to improve yourself, learn something new, or restructure your company. If you’re ever feeling uncertain, just remember the butterfly plan, a strategy Nicole uses to guide Urban You. Before the pandemic, we were caterpillars. Right now, we’re trapped in our cocoons, but very soon we’ll be reunited. If we make the best of our time for growth, we can all emerge as butterflies.
Of course, this pandemic has different consequences for everyone. Your growth will be unique to your circumstances. Small businesses might use this time to explore new avenues or refocus their efforts. Individuals might use this time to brainstorm business ideas and finally start the company of their dreams. Still others might simply use this time to read more books or gain confidence in themselves.
Both Nicole and Bonnie agree that this pandemic will have a continued impact even after it’s a distant memory. Namely, they speculate that people will “become closer as humans” and “more transparent” with one another due to this shared experience. It’s no surprise that many will never undervalue face-to-face interaction again. The once simple gestures of a handshake or a hug will likely mean so much more after this pandemic.
What is G.R.O.W.?
Grand Rapids Opportunities for Women, or G.R.O.W. is a federally funded women’s business center that provides funding, advice, skills, and more for small businesses. In its thirty-one years of operation, G.R.O.W. has helped countless small businesses get started and expand their operations. CEO Bonnie Nawara has taken advantage of the pandemic to grow both personally and as a company.
In her personal life, she mentions how she’s learned to let go of the little things, which can be difficult for a Type-A personality. In her business, she has used this time to formulate new SOPs, Standard Operating Procedures, for her now remote workforce. She has also helped small businesses access funds allocated specifically for the pandemic and encouraged many women who are trying to start their own businesses during this time. Calling all small business owners: check out G.R.O.W. for business advice, funding, skills workshops, and many other helpful resources.
While G.R.O.W.’s services are available for both men and women, Bonnie feels especially responsible for helping women establish their presence in the business world. As a woman in business herself, Nicole naturally sympathizes with Bonnie’s cause. Currently, female CEOs make up only 6% of Fortune 500 Companies. In addition, only 3% of women-owned businesses receive venture capital funding. Change doesn’t happen overnight, but Bonnie and her company work everyday to help women access funding for their business and gain confidence in positions of authority. If you want to help too, Bonnie suggests supporting the strong women in your own life and putting your dollars towards women in business, politics, and other industries.
How to Build Confidence
More than anything, Bonnie and Nicole stress the importance of confidence for women. Bonnie believes that a lack of confidence leads many women in business to question themselves and shy away from seeking funds or investors. Building confidence is no easy task, but like anything, you’ll never make progress if you don’t take the first step.
Buy that ‘new suit’
On the verge of being fired, Bonnie did the exact opposite you might expect. She bought a new suit, and proudly wore it when her boss called her into his office. To her surprise, she kept the job. Bonnie’s story exemplifies the power of confidence and one way to strengthen it. By buying new clothes or investing in a beauty treatment, you send yourself a message that you are valuable and worthy of that promotion, that opportunity, or those dollars. Nicole mentions a similar strategy she’s been using to maintain confidence while working from home. Simply dressing nicely and taking time to style her hair gives her the confidence boost she needs to conquer the day. Sometimes, these measures can feel forced, but confidence will soon follow if you treat yourself with respect and invest in yourself.
Embrace the challenge
Growth comes from a place of discomfort. If you never challenge yourself or do things that make you uncomfortable, you’ll never make progress. Even this pandemic, a very uncomfortable situation, both Nicole and Bonnie are using the challenges to grow. No matter what you’re facing, when you conquer the challenge, you’ll feel stronger and more confident than ever before. Positive AffirmationsConfidence starts small and comes from within. While it might feel cheesy at first, giving yourself positive affirmations throughout the day will build confidence. Bonnie suggests looking yourself in the mirror every day and reciting some things you admire about yourself. You can also place sticky-notes throughout the house with these positive reminders. If you need to turn to outside sources, ask trusted family members and friends what they appreciate about you.
Advice for Businesses
Even if you’re a confident and successful small business owner, this pandemic creates a lot of uncertainty and stress. Formulating a specific plan to deal with the virus is just as important as maintaining a positive attitude. According to Bonnie, small business owners should triage before anything else. This the first step small business owners should take by simply researching what resources are available to them during these trying times.
Between Payroll Protection Plans, IDA Loans, Stimulus Checks, grants, and more, there are many ways to safeguard your business and your employees throughout the pandemic. Take advantage of these opportunities. After making sure the bills are paid and the employees are cared for, small business owners might want to consider making the most of this time to restructure or redirect their business. If there are changes you’ve considered making, now is the time.
Proceed cautiously, of course, but don’t be afraid to spend some time in your cocoon brainstorming and re-thinking your direction.
Not sure where to start? That’s exactly where G.R.O.W. comes in. For personalized business planning, Covid-19 advice, and tons of other resources visit: www.growbusiness.org