November 23rd, 2010 is a date in which I will never forget. For this was the date that my Personal Training Business went through a complete restructuring phase. As I mentioned in my previous blog, a Bailiff came into the gym that I had been training clients at for the past 5 years and closed down the entire facility in less then 5 minutes. I had a roster of over hundred clients but no gym to train them at.

I was upset with the Owners of the gym for not paying their rent. I was frightened about losing my business. And I was stressed about how my clients would react. But once the initial shock of losing the gym in which I had grown my business in had worn off, I knew how I responded moving forward would determine on whether or not I was truly cut out to be a Small Business Owner.

Well, as of Wednesday, June 24th, 2020, here in Vancouver, British Columbia, we entered "Phase 3" of our COVID-19 Restart Plan. Essentially this means that all non-essential travel is allowed throughout the province. While the dangers and risks of COVID-19 have not passed, BC itself has been doing a fairly good job in containing the spread of the coronaviruses thus far. And even though it feels that we are slowly starting to move forward and re-open the economy, one can't help but wonder if it is too late for many small businesses and even some big companies across the Country to bounce back from such a devastating blow to their financial books. Here in BC, we remain after all in a State of Emergency. In fact the province announced that it was extending its State of Emergency on the very same day that it was announced that we would be entering Phase 3 of our COVID-19 Restart Plan.

Now, I've read all about the COVID-19 Restart Plan and understand that one major slip up could send us back into Phase 1 or even worse, a partial lockdown again. However I've yet to find a single document that has provided me with a COVID-19 Comeback Plan. The Government hasn't instructed me on how to market our services to clients during a pandemic. WorkSafe BC keeps making revisions to the guidelines that they have asked us to follow. I've searched for an instruction manual online on how to build a business during a global crisis, and was advised to just cut my losses and file for bankruptcy.

The stats look dismal.

The game seems out of reach.

But there's still time left on the clock........

I feel that I must apologize for my lack of activity on our Social Media Platforms these past couple of weeks. For the record, I don't think that anyone waits in anticipation for my next Facebook Post, or constantly checks our YouTube Channel to see if we've released any new videos as of late. Nor do I believe that anyone is scrolling through Instagram just to watch my latest IG Stories or check and see if my latest blog is up on our website this week (incase you're wondering this is it and it's up right now).

I do however believe that it's important to remain consistent in everything I do. Whether that be in business, in the gym, or in my own personal life, I've always believed that consistency leads to success in any and all areas of life.

Make no mistake, we are far from through living with this global pandemic. COVID-19 is here to stay for the foreseeable future. How we as a society choose to co-exist with the coronaviruses has yet to be seen. "The New Norm" will take some time for all of us to adjust to. Yes, most countries around the world are in the midst of re-opening businesses, expanding social circles, and gradually relaxing on previous restrictions. And although I personally am relieved to see and hear this, it would be naive of me to think that the worst is over.

Here in Vancouver, British Columbia, we remain in a State of Emergency. And like many other Vancouverites, I believe we will remain in this state for a prolonged period of time. With that said, I'm extremely grateful to live in a Country (and especially a Province) that has handled the first wave of COVID-19 so well. I'm also exceedingly thankful and appreciative to all of our Health Care Workers that have worked tirelessly to protect us and keep us safe these past 4 months.

As a Small Business Owner, I would be lying if I said that COVID-19 has not had a significant impact on our business. However as I mentioned in a previous post earlier this week, as a company, we are incredibly fortunate to have such a loyal and long term clientele base that has supported us through this entire pandemic so far. The majority of our clients have continued to work with us, both online and in person. In fact, we've even had new clients reach out to work with us now that their own gyms have re-opened, because they themselves don't want to deal with crowds and making reservations online in order to use the gym.

But regardless if you are working out at a Commercial Gym or a Private Gym, the question remains - Is It Safe To Go Back To The Gym?