Changes in Brown Bag…Plus a Personal Update

I hope you and your loved ones are safe and well. It’s been quite a while since I last wrote a blog post or sent out a newsletter and I’ll share why in a little bit.

June is a month of shifts on my side. To start with, I was in the process of setting up a homeschool when COVID-19 hit. That plan went silent until last week when my children’s former school invited me to join their homeschooling program that’s run by teachers.

There has been a steep learning curve for me despite this being a system that was originally set up for homeschooling. The school runs from 7:30am to 3:30pm, just as it would on normal days. So no more sleeping late.

Today, I have joined the legions of Monday blues people who need massive amounts of coffee to keep up. The boys were on time, but their mummy wasn’t…and the day has dragged endlessly!

The month that was May (A personal update)

May flew by so fast that it feels as if I blinked and it was over! So much has happened that it all deserves a blog post or two.

This COVID-19 period has been the busiest I’ve ever had. It feels as if everything I’ve worked for and towards was meant for this season. It’s been a season of awakening, change, and major personal and professional growth. Mostly, I can say that I stepped up to levels I never would have expected or even imagined in such a short time.

This came with consequences too. The first one was getting overwhelmed. I was very busy with clients and helping people in different forums that at one point, everything was too much and I had to make crucial decisions. I chose to drop everything, take a step back and then start picking the balls one at a time. That wasn’t easy given that I had taken on a lot and there were people depending on and looking up to me.

Secondly, some of the balls I dropped were very important. These included this blog, social media, the newsletter, my admin and following up clients who had recently completed their coaching.

Many days I’d tell myself that I’ll prioritize writing and connecting with people. The days would end without taking action. Days and weeks passed and the month was over. So much done everywhere, and so little done within.

And yet, interestingly, despite all these, I’m getting more business and highly qualified referrals. Just by showing up in the right places.

Two major lessons learnt

One lesson I’ve learnt from all this is that you need to show up. And not just everywhere, but in the right places. Given that the world has opened up to everyone, it’s easy to be all over the place online. It’s also very easy to step up and use your expertise to help the world. There’s a need to slow down and pick a few key places where you show up fully.

Another lesson is to prioritize yourself and what’s important to you. There were many days when I let down my children because I was too busy. Promised movie nights ended up with just the two of them as I struggled to catch up with work. Days blurred as Sunday became a workday. That too has changed and I’m back to taking weekends off. I’m not even looking at my social media on Sundays until the evening when preparing for the week.

Over the last 3 weeks, I’ve been working on my main priorities and regaining back some measure of control. I’ve also had to come out clean and apologize to a lot of people for going MIA on them. It’s not been easy eating humble pie, but it feels so much better. And here’s one more apology to you my readers, for going MIA here for more than a month!

Now June is here and we’re still not free of COVID-related changes. It’s going to take a while for these changes to ease off completely, but life has to go on in some way.

Here’s what’s coming up at Biashara Threesixty…

Changes in Brown Bag

When I started the Brown Bag lunchtime meetings in March, I thought it was going to last about a month or so. We had a meeting every weekday, then moved to 4 days a week (Monday to Thursday). In May, the regular attendees and I realized that they didn’t need so much hand-holding. They had gotten stronger internally and started looking out for opportunities. So we shifted to 2 days a week (Tuesday and Thursday).

Last week, I realized that it was time to either wrap up the forum or move it to the next level. I love the connection it’s given me and the attendees. I also love the growth we’ve all achieved because this forum is not about getting coached. It’s about us showing up as we are on that day and working through our stuff together.

Starting this week, Brown Bag moves to weekly meetings (Tuesdays 1:00PM to 2:00PM). The theme is: bringing women entrepreneurs together for inspiration, motivation, learning, sharing, and connection.

The major change in Brown Bag is that it’s no longer open to the public.

Starting this week, the main focus of Brown Bag will be my former and current coaching clients. It’s also open to current participants who have attended at least 4 meetings a month between March and May.

For many years, my clients have asked for space where they can meet and connect. Initially, I did this through the Break Free Meetups in Mombasa. However, this limited attendance by ruling out people who were outside Mombasa and the environs.

Brown Bag has provided a space where we can connect without borders. It’s also a tested platform that has worked amazingly well for everyone in a very short time.

We’ve discussed many things in the forum (personal, parenting, relationships, self-care, health, etc). We’ve worked on our careers and businesses, including getting new business ideas and redefining our businesses. I want to take all these to the next level and explore how it goes.

Another reason why I chose to take this path is that even employed people in Brown Bag have either come up with business ideas or expressed interest in starting part-time businesses. So business is a common theme that will bring us together now and post-COVID.

[Update March 2021: The idea of Brown Bag helped me set up Elevate Community which is a virtual membership for women entrepreneurs. Elevate launched in October 2020].

Going beyond Brown Bag

This shift also extends to Biashara Threesixty. One of the gifts COVID-19 has given me is total clarity about why I’m here and how to express this through my business. This also came with a large measure of confidence and courage.

It used to be scary thinking that I could step up and only work with women MDs and CEOs. I’ve navigated that very well this year and seen amazing results for my clients, myself and other people I’ve connected with online and offline. So it’s time to level up in all areas.

Going forwards, here’s a summary of how things are looking like at Biashara Threesixty (God willing).

1. Focus primarily on working with women MDs and CEOs in the Business Breakthrough coaching program and The Confident Woman mastermind.
2. Host the Break Free, Live Your Life program once a year in March. This will be open to professional and business women who manage teams of at least 10 people.
3. Move the business startup programs (12 Weeks to Startup and Create Your Dream Business) to Expertise to Income – a collaboration I’m doing with MaryG Waithaka of Golden Kufflinks (more on that in another post). [Update March 2021: This didn’t work out so the Create Your Dream Business program is back from 2021].
4. Grow Brown Bag as a forum where all the Biashara Threesixty clients connect, network, and learn from one another.
5. Grow the Biashara Threesixty team.
6. Move back to being fully online and become more visible through attending relevant virtual forums, hosting a podcast, guest speaking, and guest blogging. [Update March 2021: The podcast is still a work in progress as my focus in 2021 is growing Elevate Community].

Looking through this list, I realize that it’s not made up of new things. These are plans I’ve had for a long time, but never had the courage to act on. That’s changed now.

Over to you…

I know that not everyone is growing positively in this season. If you’re growing then celebrate that.

Here’s the message I want to give those who are struggling. Don’t give up if things haven’t worked so well for you. If you’re feeling like things are falling apart and you don’t know where to start or what to pick/drop, take a step back and evaluate what is most important for you. Then start aligning with it, even when things seem bleak.

The growth I’m experiencing today is not a result of things working out. In fact, it’s a direct result of a lot of pain and struggle I’ve gone through over the last 6 years.

I’ve gone through a lot financially, in business, personally, as a mum, spiritually, health-wise…in all areas of my life. Nothing was left untouched. There was a time when I used to believe that the one thing God hadn’t hit me with was poor health…and then that hit came in January this year, just 4 days before my birthday.

Looking at everything that’s taken a downhill tumble over these 6 years, I’d have expected to be downright scared when COVID-19 came knocking in our country. Instead, I realized that the challenges had built a core of strength that is unshaken. It was all a refinement – painful but necessary.

The support I’ve been able to give people was not just because of my knowledge or expertise as a coach. It was because of the painful experiences I’ve had to overcome over the years.

One step at a time

So, if you’re in a deep pit right now, take this post as a speck of light. Read it again and see whether there’s a lesson in there that you can pick and run with.

And if you’re inclined to, please scroll down to the Comments and share your story. I may be behind in my admin, but I read and respond to all comments and emails personally.

Thanks for reading my rambling and I hope to connect with you here on the blog, on the Biashara Threesixty Facebook page or in the email newsletter.

In the meantime, keep well and stay safe.

God bless,
Caroline

(Photo by Jess Bailey on Unsplash)