2020 started as any other year in New Zealand and then life changed. It stopped, we stayed home and we didn’t know what was coming next. One year on, what are our reflections of the year that was.

Aimee’s Reflections

When it was announced that New Zealand was going into a hard lockdown, I remember feeling anxiety. It felt like everything was normal and then it wasn’t. What would happen to the small business owners we looked after, what would happen to our economy, what would happen to us?

As hours turned to days and days turned to weeks, our team worked our hearts out to ensure our clients had business at the end of all of this, even though we did not know when that was or what that looked like.  As a business owner I needed to be aware of the wellbeing of my team and although at the start of the new normal we tried to help as many small businesses as we could, I soon realised we needed to look after our clients, and I needed to look after my team, or we risked getting burnt out and being unable to help anyone.

As with any situation like Covid, when times get tough there are opportunities, and I am so proud of my team for the results they achieved for our clients throughout the last year.

It hasn’t been all rainbows and kittens, but we have weathered the storm, we have faced situations we never thought we would, and we have come out the other side. If anything, that is probably my biggest lesson. We are stronger than we think and when you are faced with a challenge, you have the opportunity to show your strength and adaptability.

Some things I actually LOVED

1. The simplicity of life
2. Not thinking I had to fill every minute of every day with some activity
3. Zoom drinks (no fights on who’s driving)
4. Working from home with my husband (don’t tell him though)
5. The beautiful country we live it, how lucky are we.
6. Advintage, talk about a jolly lifesaver

Some things I would LOVE never to be repeated!

1. Being so far from loved ones
2. Not eating out
3. James Bond movie being postponed
4. Covid Bingo lingo … “team of 5 million”, “hard and early”, "pivot" …. Can we not, ever, please?
5. Queuing for the supermarket

Aimee x

Sara’s Reflection

It’s hard to believe that this time last year were in our first lockdown, and life as we knew it was fundamentally changed!

During lockdown we were so lucky to remain busy with our wonderful clients, helping them through a tough time and finding creative solutions to do business when you are stuck at home. I think we all learned a lot, and how important digital communication really is. (e-commerce Website anyone?). I don’t think I’ve ever produced so many versions of differing content and instruction in my life.

From a personal perspective being stuck at home away from the hills was challenging! But I was more than able to make up for that in the second part of 2020. Including an epic one-month adventure in the South Island exploring everything that is beautiful about our corner of the world.

Fast forward to April 2021 (what?!) I think the best takeaway from what a crazy year was, was everyone’s resilience, adaptability and an understanding that sometimes it’s just tough, and that’s ok. I’m excited to see the shift not only in NZ, but across the world where a focus on whole-self health is coming to the forefront. We can all be better people, excel in life, career and more if we are aligned with our values, and focus on our health and mental wellbeing.

I was crossing the road at a traffic light today on a walk and thought how strange it was that pushing the button (or touching any surface out in public for that matter) could be such a normal yet now terrifying thing. Covid-19 and its effects are going to be with us for a while, but at least we can tackle it positively and calmly.

Bring on the rest of 2021!

Sara