Published: May 1, 2020
Author Laura Beauparlant is a branding expert and an extrovert.
So I was wondering how she was doing at home, juggling her branding business with home-schooling her two boys, age 8 and 12.
“I’m working harder than I ever did before,” Laura said, “and I’m a bit Zoomed out.”
Last weekend, for example, Laura was supposed to hold a regular brand camp for four clients. It’s an intense in-person two-day affair. Instead, she did five two-hour sessions on Zoom over a week. It worked out pretty well, and the camp was priced a little lower because it was virtual (with no lunches.)
But Laura noticed something: “It takes way more out of me energetically” when real people are not in the room. “I get energy from people. When it’s virtual, it’s energy draining.”
Maybe that’s why corona cocktails typically last an hour and don’t go all night.
Yet here we are, with our daily Zoom menu of business calls, yoga classes, and tennis clinics.
And we fret about our business and ask: Am I supposed to pivot? “The word is scaring people,” says Laura. “I don’t think they have to pivot. They just have to adjust.”
The question is, how do you continue what you love when this is all over?
“This is the time to ensure you have a solid brand so that what you say or do is memorable,” she says. “Don’t add to the noise. Have something valuable to say.”
One client has started a tutoring service. A real estate agent is sharing her love of music.
“Just help people. It helps to build brand awareness.”
