Don't be Afraid to Ask for Help

In April 2020, it dawned on me that I was about to turn 60 and then COVID19 came to New Zealand. The first two weeks of Lockdown I found myself sorting through my (adult) children’s Lego and thought right it is time to do something with my life and my business. I had become tired of my job, sick of being by myself and working on my own. I just needed a change and along came Lockdown.

COVID19 gave me an unexpected opportunity, time to sit down and reflect and look back at all the things we have done in Billies and what we were doing right now. I called a good friend, who also owns her own business and said “I think its time I either move forward or get out!”

I had a number of small issues that had arisen over time. My ordering process was clunky, my website wasn’t easy to use and was now in desperate need of an update. I had tried to get some cardboard packaging samples to improve my product image, but the samples arrived squashed and so I decided they just weren’t right.

Into week 3 of Lockdown I began to think about the next decade of my life and what I could do right now to improve my business. I know many people hit 60 years of age and think I'm five years away from retirement, but I'm not one of them. I'm not finished yet. I feel like I haven't done half of what I set out to do in life and so I'm not done. I’m just beginning.

With the support of my business friend and family, we set to ticking off a to-do-list whilst we had the time on our hands. First the logo. I wanted to keep some elements of the original logo, but felt it needed a freshen up. I still absolutely love the light blue colour, but wanted a modern twist to it, so added black and white. My website wasn’t just in need of an update, but I needed my customers to be able to order seasonings online easily. COVID19 has changed the way people shop now and I could see this was the perfect opportunity to give my customers what they need. I signed up to SHOPIFY and overnight the process became so much easier. Finally, we worked on new packaging. I had looked at pouches before, but I still thought they weren’t quite right. We found a New Zealand supplier who could offer us exactly what we were after. My husband helped modify a machine to fill the packaging and it all just worked, the whole thing looked great, fresh, new and exciting.

Over the years I have found it far easier to work with people I know, people that truly understand me. If I could finish this blog on a small pearl of wisdom and experience. It would have to be; don’t be afraid to take a step back. Stop occasionally to embrace what's ahead, whether you are sure of it or not. And ask for help when you need it.