Q: What are your thoughts as today marks the one year anniversary of the Washington State Covid Lockdown

Clarito: It has been a surreal experience. I am grateful and feel blessed for the health of my family, team and friends. As with any adversity I feel that it has shaped us to be stronger, smarter, and kinder. Strong & Kind. Those two words are not mutually exclusive. 

Kristina: Wow! It seems like yesterday the announcement was made and I walked upstairs to have a moment to myself. I feel blessed that we are still here and pushing forward even though we have definitely taken a beating along the way. 

Q: Walk us through what happened

Kristina: Clarito and I took a moment to digest what was happening and then instantly started thinking about how to talk to our team and next steps to keep everyone working. We lost over 100K in the first two weeks of the shutdown due to everything we had lined up being cancelled. We then really focused on the projects we could finish remotely, our monthly retainer (PPC/Social) clients, as well as all of the internal IAJ work that we could never get to. We stuck to our normal routine; getting up at the same time, working out, and our weekly team routines (check-ins, meetings); virtual of course. We also stayed grounded and grateful, hanging out with our children and each other to keep us focused.  

Q: As a small business how did you manage to survive

Clarito: We managed to survive by elevating ourselves from the situation. We took a moment to pause (A few days) to assess the situation as calmly as possible allowing us to make clear and thoughtful decisions. The pandemic forced business verticals we were already considering. We didn’t let up off the gas, if anything we pressed even harder. 

Kristina: We looked at our Core Values and Mission Statement and stuck to those fundamentals when we did all of our planning for next steps. We refocused energy to our own brand and made us our favorite client to keep our team working and morale up. I found outside resources to direct the team to for additional support. We stuck to our routine and did not slip. We kept reaching out to try and get new clients, while working with our current, and created a ton of new relationships virtually. We also put ourselves out there for any community support we could offer to local, heavily impacted businesses.

Q: What were your immediate concerns when the Lock down happened?

Kristina: Losing all of the work we did for our team and how to keep them supported and thriving. As well as if our business was going to survive this global pandemic. 

Q: What struggles did you face during the first few months and how did you overcome them? 

Clarito: Over half of the productions we had lined up for the year were cancelled which immediately seized most of our projected cash flow.. It was our core values and mission that were the pillars to holding us together. We focused immediately on our team and made sure to play a role of support. We did that by getting creative with our brand. We tell stories to position brands, so we invested our time and the little resources we had to keep our team honing their craft while serving the narrative of the brand. 

Kristina: At first we needed to wrap our own minds around what was happening. However, we didn’t spend time living in the chaos and made sure to focus on the things we could control. The immediate lost revenue was a huge hit but we just pushed forward and looked at what work we did still have, how we could adapt and refocus (such as focusing on the work we could provide remotely),  and what work we could create internally for the team. We also really had to face the fears our team was experiencing and we did that by being understanding but also showing them that we could still power on.  

Q: What are your thoughts on facing adversity and do you have any advice for those who face it either with the Lockdown or other challenges?

Clarito: The more I look back the more I realize how facing that adversity has made me better. Calmer, stronger and wiser. The insight I can provide is to trust in the process. Practicing gratitude daily keeps things in perspective. That perspective is the fuel to keep you moving. Day by day. Keep the good habits going, the compounding effect of those habits will bring better outcomes. 

Kristina: My advice is to face your fears head on, it is ok to feel what you are feeling, but don’t live in the muck. Focusing on gratitude helps keep you from becoming a victim and will help you adapt and keep moving forward.