F*** **U, 2020 – Grow Your Specialty Food Business

Are you ready for 2020 to be over already?

It seems like we keep getting hit physically, emotionally, financially, and politically. I wouldn’t blame anyone who wants to just crawl into a ball with their favorite blanket, zone out on Netflix and drink through their wine collection.

Between having too much time on our hands and the changes we had to make in how we live, most of us have a new normal. Yet I’ve noticed some clients who keep saying, “when we get back to normal.”

I’m advocating that “there’s no going back”. So, I decided to give you all my “f-ing” reasons.

Forward: Accept that this is how things are and look ahead of you. Wishful thinking won’t bring anything back.

Flexible: Resiliency is a trait that we should all embrace and teach our employees. Giving people a certain bandwidth to make decisions on their own builds confidence. When someone brings you a problem, ask them, “What do you think you should do?” Then as long as it’s reasonable, tell them to do it! Give them some power and you’ll have more time to think about strategy.

Freedom: Less can be more. Your business has shrunk? What has that freed you up for? More creativity? More family time? A new direction in your business or career?

Failure: Clean out what’s not working. Get rid of the parts of your life you aren’t enjoying.

Fix: You know there were things that weren’t working. Now you have time to make those course corrections.

Family and Friends: Reconnect. Enjoy your time together. Make memories. Keep it simple.

Food: We are all about the food and now we know how much it means to those we aim to serve. Help them learn to cook, to experiment, and to use our innovations in new and delicious ways.

Future: “This too shall pass”. Plan your next steps. What have you been wanting to do and didn’t have time for?

Find yourself: Are you the person you’re meant to be? Go deep, be introspective, journal, meditate, go on a retreat.

Fantastic: What would it look like if this meant life was so much better?

This has been Fun and I could go on, but you get the idea. The time for wallowing is over. The time for short-sightedness is over. The time to move on is here. Grab it Fiercely.