Covid Blessings, Chapter 1: WTF???
Much like most of you - 2020 started out to be what was supposed to be the biggest year yet! Vacations were planned, goals were set, and business was on fire! I had decided to go on a couple of tours, first quarter, to see several groups of clients around the Country. I also had 17 new accounts that I was set to open first quarter, so I decided to hit the road hard and really kick off the year with a bang, in time for Spring Break in the Resort Industry.
It all started January...
Several trainings in Orange County
CBD Event
Filming all new Product Training Videos
Trade Shows
Regional Training Events
On January 26th I was driving to the Professional Beauty Trade Show in Long Beach from my home in Ventura. I called Derek just a little while after leaving the house."Babe you cannot believe how foggy it is over here. I can barely see in front of me!"About 20 minutes later the radio came on with the announcement that Kobe, Gianna, and several others died in a helicopter crash not even one mile away from where I called my husband.This should have been a clear sign as to how the rest of the year would go....
February Schedule
One Week trip to Seattle
Train 10 Salons and Spas
Open new Casino Resort Spa
Three additional meetings
Catch my Niece, Jordan's Roller Derby Tournament that weekend
Home for one week in time for Valentines Day
Week-long trip to Chicago
Train 3 Spa Teams
3 Additional Meetings
Meet up with girlfriends
Come home for my Niece, Kiana's Birthday and my Sister In-Laws Wedding.
Meanwhile, I keep hearing about this virus going around. Trump had shut down any flights coming in from China. There has been only one case in the US. But that's about it. It was business as usual as far as I could tell. I mean... I had only been home about 20 of the last 60 days. So.... we will just see what happens, right?
March 1st - I am heading back to the airport. Derek is taking me early Sunday morning to LAX and I decide I am going to play a joke where I take a Bobblehead I had made of him, with me, as if on a tour. I have already been gone so much - and now I was going to be gone for two weeks on the most crucial and jam-packed tour so far! Needless to say - my Hubby was missing me...
Sunday - Fly to Miami
Monday - Drive 4 hours to Keywest
Tuesday - Key West Meetings and Trainings. Drive 4 hours back to Miami
Wednesday - Miami Trainings and Meetings. Drive 4 hours to Orlando
Thursday - Orlando Trainings and Meetings. Drive 2 hours to Tampa
Friday - Meetings and Trainings. Fly to New York for Trade Show
Saturday - Monday - Trade show + Fly to Destin, Florida
Tuesday - Meetings and Trainings in Destin
Wednesday - Fly home
We are talking 15 hours day - every single day. I was so excited for this tour - it was definitely going to take my business to the next level!
But as I arrived at LAX that Sunday morning- things looked a little weird. Remember, I had taken several flights already those past few weeks. But on this day things felt different. Everyone in the International area was wearing masks, and there were tons of News cameras around the International Terminal.
As I kissed Derek goodbye and headed to my gate I thought I should just grab a pack of wipes. I am not one to worry about cooties, but it did seem different today.
I got on the plane and the two other women and I were all wiping our areas down. So was everyone else around me. Weird.
I thought to myself - Watch Trump close the trade to China and fuck my shit all up! So right before we took off I emailed my rep at my container company a quick order:
"Hey Rachel - over here at the airport and shit looks weird. Please order me double stock of everything. Feel free to round up for full cases. Send to my warehouse. Charge my card. Don't wait for further approval - just get it out. Talk soon."
**Side note: This proved to be the smartest thing I have done this year. Because, when everyone else tried to order one weeks later - NO ONE had the materials to make anything, since no one could keep sanitizer and cleaning supplies on the shelf!**
Back to my trip...Key West - all normal
Miami - I was literally talking to my client about the Ulta Music Festival, which sells out all of the hotels in Miami, when it was suddenly cancelled due to the Virus. South by Southwest had also been cancelled on the West Coast.
Orlando - While I am there Orlando's occupancy drops to 10% because all of the Conventions are cancelling!
Tampa - Remember all the Spring Breakers? Yeah... Tampa could not give a shit.
Jump on the plane and get to NY for the trade show. Virus is definitely now a full blown conversation and people are being more careful. No masks, but sanitizer is the new hot commodity.
We set up for the trade show, and after a long day, started heading towards dinner, exhausted but ready. JUST KIDDING. Governor Cuomo declares a State of Emergency, halts anyone coming in and out of New York City, and suddenly the trade show is cancelled! What the FUCK!
So the next day we go and break down the booth and try to get out. Except that so is everyone else at the Jacob Javits Center! They are all trying to get home, but since the show is cancelled, so are all of the amenities that are usually available like the Center's FEDEX! Luckily, my friend Michael, who is only an hour and a half away in Pennsylvania, was having a van come in and take his stuff. He let me throw my stuff in too. We would figure it out when we all got back home.
UGH! Ok - so I went back to my hotel room, knowing I would be leaving the next night anyway. I even went on a walk through Times Square that night and it was SUPER PACKED! It didn't seem like that much was different to anyone else in the world.
Plus, one of my Bucket List things to do is go to the TODAY SHOW. This was the first time I actually had time to go so I did - it was so great and I ended up getting on TV! But it was also kind of strange because Savannah and Hoda and the guys all talked about only doing elbow bumps with the crowd. But it was great!
That night flew to Destin, Florida. Had my meetings, and everything seemed normal there as well.
But in just those last few days of my Florida/NY trip - things were changing rapidly. People were talking about Toilet Paper, Hand Sanitizer, and Wipes... And ITALY shut down! What the hell? By the time I came home on Wednesday the 11th many of my clients had shut down, Universities had shut down, and several states had declared a State of Emergency.
I got back to the office on Thursday, March 12th. I told my team that things were falling apart fast. I told them to go home and file for unemployment starting that following Monday. I told them that maybe they would not need it, but there was always a delay in getting approved, and it was better safe than sorry. I had them leave early and told them to go to the grocery store and make sure they had what they needed.That night our County went on Lockdown, or as they nicely called it "Stay at Home Orders."
For days we all watched the news, 24 hours a day, in disbelief. This is America - what the hell is going on???
Sitting there, watching the news day in and day out. It seemed like the floor was falling beneath us and I wondered if it would ever stop.
How long are we going to be on Lockdown?
How long until business is back to normal?
Maybe just a couple of weeks.....right????
Then on Day 5 - Vegas shut down. H..O...L...Y...FUCK! To see that this virus was more powerful than all of that money. I couldn't believe my eyes.And then I knew. I knew that there was no way I was gonna be able to leave my house if I didn't come up with something. You have to understand - I am gone at least one week a month - that is MY LIFE!!! I had just spent almost 9 weeks away and now I am sitting here like a caged animal and I am not allowed to leave my house except to go on a FUCKING WALK!!!!
Nope. And that is when I knew what I needed to do.... I became an Instacart Shopper.