Giving small business room to grow

I met this client in a very round-about way, but I am ever so glad I did!

I had caught up with a friend and former colleague at the Wangaratta Small Business Forum and we had an amazing conversation catching up on all things work and family related. The following morning this friend tagged me in a Facebook post from Gabby Simmonds Jewellery, a small business owner who was feeling utterly overwhelmed with their clutter!

I took a chance and reached out with an offer of help. No pressure, no cajoling, because that is not my style, and because for this client, I had come completely out of the unknown.

And they said yes!

This small business owner was going through a transition in their life, both professionally and personally, hence the urge to pull everything off the shelves and take stock!

They made me laugh thinking the first thing we were going to do was dash out and hit the shops for lots of containers! Far from it! The first thing we did was to sit and have a conversation about their dreams for their workspace, what they love about it, and what isn’t working.

Once work began by categorising, zoning, and assessing what should stay and what had served its purpose, the workspace was transformed. This was an emotional undertaking, as the business that the client had created and nurtured was changing, and change can be confronting. It can also be liberating, because space for new growth was created.

Happy to report no containers were purchased; instead, many were donated because the client had an excess of storage devices, and the remainder put into service to organise the space.

One of the most powerful statements made by my client was that I had given them permission to let go. This has stayed with me. By enabling them to let go, they have been given the space to grow.