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WHAT I LEARNT AS A

BUSINESS OWNER DURING

A Pandemic

020 was a challenging year for everyone including many small business owners.
While there was uncertainty at the beginning of the pandemic and the months
following, we are grateful to all our clients who found projects to do around
2 their homes, who continued those projects, and who put their trust in Jostar
A Pandemic
to bring their new spaces to life. In reflecting on the past year, I had three realizations
over what helped us make it through.
During the pandemic, I came to realize and appreciate just how important
communication is – not only with clients but with staff as well. We all understood
how important it is; yet, overnight we had to change how we communicated as a
team, with each other, with our suppliers, and with our clients.
Like so many businesses, with everyone working from home, we had to
find ways to create opportunities for conversations that otherwise would have
happened spontaneously in the office. Therefore, we had to be much more
conscious about who we needed to talk to and how we were going to connect
with them. We had to find new ways of communicating with clients while
bringing the same level of service and connection.
With so many projects on the go and everyone still working under restrictions,
I was reminded about the value of employees and having a group of skilled people
to draw on. Having the right projects aligned with the right designer ensured
we could manage projects even with the uncertainty. Their ability to flex to the
new way of doing business ensured clients were well looked after.
The final ah-ha moment I had was around our supplier relationships.
Adjusting to limited production capacity, some staff shortages, or occasional
shutdowns, we found keeping in contact with our suppliers – new and old
– a key to continuing to deliver products to our clients. Ensuring good
business relationships with a large book of suppliers allowed us to pivot as
needed to both the business environment and our client’s needs.
While the past year has tested our resolve, it has also been invigorating
as we found ways to meet pandemic challenges and complete client
projects. The pandemic might be winding down, yet I know we will
continue to value and nurture new ways to communicate, build staff
capacity, and foster supplier relationships.

Irene Lay Photography

JOANNA STARKO

JOSTAR INTERIORS

Joanna@Jostar.com
Jostar.com I 780-435-1727

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WOMEN IN PROCESS