In late 2016, I decided to name my brand new business, Andrew’s Tours and Transporation. In an effort to find some inspiration, I looked at my competition online and was utterly uninspired with the business names I found. They were a mixture of unimaginative, cheesy names with little thought to anything except a phony concept. The words “luxury”, “unique”, “exquisite” jumped back at me with every Google search. The advice I received was to make my business about me and the values that I hold dear. Inject into it the professionalism, integrity, honesty and work ethic that I hope I’ve achieved and maintained throughout my life and former career. I ran with this concept and it appears to have held me in good stead. It’s been the backbone of my small enterprise and one of the best choices I’ve made.
I do everything in my small enterprise, I’m the point man. I’m the guy on the website, I clean and methodically detail my car, I answer the phone, I make the bookings, I’m the one who has forged the relationships with my many wonderful clients and the wineries I visit. So, in light of what has happened in a few short weeks, it feels fitting and right that I should continue in this vain and detail what my clients don’t see, show the unglamorous side of life as a small business owner, an entrepeneur if you will. I have much to say.
In October 2017, Napa experienced horiffic bushfires that decimated parts of our neighbouring County. Napa was affected but nothing like the complete obliteration of many parts of Sonoma. Nevertheless, “Napa” became the headline. Wineries closed and many aspects of life came to a grinding halt. The fires arrived on 8th October 2017, two weeks after I had given notice to my then-present employer, the NSW Police Force. I’d been with them for years and it was a huge decision to resign. It had taken me many years to get to the team that I was a part of so the decision to leave was an incredibly tough one.
The Harvest season vanished in 2017. Grapes were harvested but with little or no fanfare. No parties, very little celebration, and very few vistors. Business for the next couple of months dried up. I canceled the vast majority of my bookings and righly so. It would of been remiss of me to do anything else and prudent that I explain to my potential guests what would await them if they were to come. The air at that time was, quite literally, unbreathable. Two months went by and things began to look a little more positive. My phone began to ring and 2018 looked like it held some promise. It did and it turned into a great year. I had fun, forged new relationships, learned lots and earned more. My decision to resign was emerging as a good one. 2019 was even better; more fun, more wonderful business relationships and more great clients. Financially, it was my best year yet. I had managed to successfully dodge the ‘new business failure rate’ and was more than content with my progression having gained momentum each year.
Yes, 2019 was such a fun prosperous year. Wineries were now contacted me with requests to for me to visit in the hope that it would be on my list of recommendations to guests. My reputation was growing and personal referrals were continually suprising me. Naturally, my income was increasing too and I felt good about my life’s transition. In September 2019, I booked a Maui vacation for my family for the coming February after coming to the realization that our family had earned it and could afford it. Our two weeks away were amazing and everything I had hoped they would be. My two lovely boys were well behaved and Jeni and I loved every minute of our time together. Of course, the phone kept ringing with bookings for the coming year. It was shaping up to be a great year ahead.
I recall hearing about Coronavirus during an eveining in Hawaii. I listened with interest but discarded any sense of worry quite quickly. Same old media hype to make their news sound exciting. There was a trickle more information on the virus over the coming week but once again, I read it then carelessly dismissed its relevance to me, my family, or my business.
My first cancelation arrived in early March. They were concerned about, catching the new virus due to their age and the amount of travel involved in getting to Napa. Fair enough. I’ve learned to take cancelations with acceptance and grace. The majority of my guests re-book with me at a later stage and their reasons for doing so are almost always quite sound and understandable. I had learned from the fires of 2017 that the manner in which I accept cancelations is important. An empathetic, understanding approach leaves a guest with a positive experience. What I wasn’t prepared for was the fact that this cancelation was far from the last.
So here I sit. I’m not waiting for the phone to ring because it’s not going to. I have an acceptance of the situation as to do anything else would be quite pointless. It’s also something that I know will improve and there’s things that I can do, even achieve, while I wait.
The virus has also gifted me the opportunity to spend time with my wife and two boys. This is something that we often complain that we don’t do enough so now is my opportunity! It continues to be tough at times (particularly with a two year old) but we’ve fallen into a some semblance of a routine that seems to work. I have no doubt that one day, I’ll wish I could have this much time with my family again. We’re all learning to be a little more patient right now and being a little more relaxed with one another’s ‘habits’. I’m blessed that I have a six year old who’s enthusiastic about home schooling but I just hope that he doesn’t have to graduate from High School in our lounge room.
Is almost looks beautiful doesn’t it?
