A small business owner
A Note of Transparency
I know that these times for all of have been impacted with many changes to our daily routine, health concerns, heightened anxiety and an overwhelming sense of “what’s next?” Together, we are learning to navigate a new normal and for a lot of us the changes have been overwhelming.
I cannot speak for all small business owners but for me the uncertainty of when I can open my studio to my clients is absolutely suffocating. Small business owners, we want to work. We do not have guaranteed paychecks or benefits or healthcare. We expect to earn those things. We work long hours, take big risks, and constantly innovate to stay relevant. We value our communities and every single customer who walks through our doors. We’re still paying all of our overhead, taxes, insurances, and for city services, with no income to feed our own families. We will continue to be abundantly grateful to the customers who support us. They are the ones to thank for keeping us afloat. We are willing to do whatever we need to do to open safely with the health of others as a top priority. We have followed the stay at home orders. Personally, I have not left my house to conduct business from any distance since March 20th and I am healthy but I am not ok.
Thank You
About 95% of my clients have chosen to reschedule instead of cancel their sessions and I cannot say thank you enough. If you are a client of mine you KNOW that I care for and value each and every one of you. Missing your kiddos milestones is hurtful for me as I always look forward to seeing them each year and how much they have grown. Milestones are going undocumented, portraits are being rescheduled and it is heartbreaking for me more than you know. For the past month I have had to lay my camera down and abide by the law to shut my studio doors to the public. In almost all cases my clients have been gracious, kind, caring and compassionate. Understanding that this is a GLOBAL pandemic and as small business owners our hands are tied.
I miss my work, I miss creating, I miss my clients, I miss earning an income to care for my family. To those of you who have been kind, gracious and understanding, thank you. We have ALL had to make some big sacrifices during this this time and with diligence and integrity we will see one another soon.
-Sasha
