For the first few months, I worked night and day on rebuilding the KR brand. I re-branded, developed my new site, reestablished my business Facebook page, etc. (still a work in progress). Although I’ve been in the industry for over 20 years, it felt like I was starting from scratch. Well, I was. A lot had changed in the 4 years that I was working for someone else. As I was starting to get into the groove of things and had secured a few clients, unfortunately, my mother suffered a horrible stroke. I had to drop everything to become her caregiver and put all of my business plans aside for about 6 months. That’s a lot of time lost when you are running a small business. However, I was grateful to be there for her when she needed me most. To see your parent in a state of constant need and dependency, was extremely debilitating. My mom’s stroke taught me that lessons come in different packages. I pushed through all the pain. My mother was on the path to recovery and I finally embraced that she will never be the same and neither would my life as a result.

It was time to GO, to DO to MOVE. So I did. I started with as much enthusiasm as when I started the first time I decided to relaunch my business. I called everyone I knew and even people I didn’t. I attended industry conferences, reconnected with old industry friends and established new relationships. Most importantly, I believed in myself during a very challenging time. I remained focused and disciplined.

It’s easy to lose your sense of self when you feel people don’t believe in you, when clients don’t show appreciation or respect for your hard work, or when someone does not embrace you with the same energy that you put out. However, when this happens remember why you started and tell yourself that failure is not an option; too many people depend on us. This is our life to live!