Nothing in this world is certain. One cannot control everything, no matter how hard you try. Life is unpredictable, and you cannot always be sure of what happens. I had heard these words and thoughts a lot in my life but never truly felt their relevance unless life showed it to me the hard way.
“Life is unpredictable. Always be prepared for the best and the worst.”
Life was going pretty well for me, as I had a supportive family and two beautiful daughters. Just when I thought I’ve settled well and everything has fallen into place, life had something terrible to test me.
Our business faced sudden issues due to unavoidable circumstances. There were bank loans to be repaid, court cases to fight, and many other problems to deal with. When the stress and pressure got too much, my husband could not take it anymore. He committed suicide, leaving me and my daughters alone.
I always loved the idea of a perfect family, and I didn’t know what to do at the moment. I was not ready for what came in front of me. Being a single mother to two young daughters was not easy at that time.
Life had opened two options in front of me. I could either throw up my hands in despair or stay strong for my daughters and business. As you can see, I decided to choose the latter.
Was it easy? No. Was it necessary? Yes.
The Journey of Rebuilding Business
When my husband died, many people were deciding who would take over the business. Everyone was in shock and confused about who will manage the business. Well, women entrepreneurs were not much in this industry. However, I offered to take over the business and handle it.
Many people were shocked because nobody could put their trust in me. I knew what I was doing, and I trusted my skills. With time, they started seeing my potential and putting their trust in my working style. I knew it wouldn’t be easy to rebuild a failing business. Several court cases were pending, and High Court litigations were followed. So much so that even the staff started leaving. The higher authorities were calling on the behalf of clients, asking for a refund of their money.
I was surrounded by business problems from all directions, but I did not give up. I decided to face each problem with grit and determination.
The biggest challenge for me was to enter a business industry in which I had no experience. I entered a male-dominated corporate world to rebuild my family business. I started with baby steps and learned everything I could about the business. I never hesitated from talking and learning from people above me or below me.
Initially, people would not trust me much and expected I’d leave in a few days. It was very hard for me to gain their trust. They thought I do not have the right experience and qualification to manage this work. Now, I was not only working for the company, but also for gaining the trust of my team. However, soon things started to fall into place. People started trusting my leadership skills, and I gained their respect. Next, I had to work hard to bring our business on track.
I worked hard day and night, fought court cases, and repaid bank loans. Finally, our business was rebuilt. It was back on track with no trace of history left. In the marathon of building a business, the duration and seriousness cannot be predicted.
One needs to have both the right mind and the right actions to turn chances into life-changing opportunities. When you decide to be a part of the game, consistently present yourself, and work hard each day, success starts to follow. One thing that I was always clear about was my purpose.
A weak purpose can bring crisis and unhappiness. However, a clear purpose allows you to turn crises into opportunities. When you learn how to change a problem into a solution, half of your work is already done.
In my case, I did the same. I had a clear purpose of rebuilding my business, and I did it. We could now give our business a fresh start, and that’s how the journey of ‘Relaunch’ began.
Relaunch for Better Opportunities
When all our debts were clear, it was time for me to take my business on the journey of reigniting. I had to look for ways and opportunities to make my business a success. I led my team to a non-viable project of making synthetic leather that competes with the Chinese market today.
Now, it has ventured into the European landscape by making environmentally friendly green leather. Our innovation and hard work helped us do our part in protecting the environment.
However, all this did not happen overnight. I realized that to run the industry and gain respect, I should be technically sound. I decided to take some overseas trips to learn the production methods, global markets, and how things work.
Being a mother of two daughters, I had to maintain an optimal work-life balance to ensure a happy and healthy family. Today, my business is flourishing like never before. The business management skills I acquired and used brought all the change.
Life is always unpredictable. If bad things happen to you, good things will also happen. Today, I see many young entrepreneurs giving up after losing money in their first attempt. When life challenges you, you can either show pity to yourself or work hard to overcome those challenges.
Reignite Each Day and See The Difference
Rebuilding a business is not a one-day task. It takes continuous effort and hard work. You will need plans and tools to reignite your business. Recently, many businesses were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Universal crises are out of your reach, and there is nothing you can do to stop them.
However, giving up your lifetime of hard work to one year of disparity sounds unfair to me. Most of the time, giving up seems an easier option as it does not require courage. But is it worth it? Never.
A business might get boring or might slow down after some time. It needs ignition like other utilities of life. It is not something you can build and leave. You need to improvise and enhance each day.
Being a business coach, I have given many business coaching in top companies. I help entrepreneurs with corporate coaching. I understand the team problems, mind problems, and productivity issues of companies. I believe if all these problems are resolved efficiently, then any business can be rebuilt and relaunched. I help organizations by reigniting the spark in businesses.
No matter in which field of life you are, many unexpected things will happen. Things will not always go the way you plan them to go. Many situations might threaten your well-being, ambition, or your expectations. But if you look carefully, crises also bring opportunities for personal and business advantage.
All you need to know is ‘Why are you doing what you are doing?’ A clear purpose is enough to help you rebuild, relaunch, and reignite your life.
