I’m not going to lie and say that the pandemic has been all sunshine and smiles for me. I have been struggling with the loss of my mom, family mental health challenges, and an uncontrollable call to chocolate and wine!
It would be fair to say that staying home has created a mixed result. But, on the positive side and related to productivity and business, I am pushed into a more focused direction of service.
I have surrounded myself with supportive relationships in all forms. The building of support and authentic connection during difficult times is what gets me through each challenging day. I cherish these new relationships that help me cope with the pandemic stressors we all feel.
Dusting off the self-care regiment has been essential. Because, let’s face it… when we are home all day long with our kids, we NEED a break. Drinking extra wine and eating extra chocolate ice cream is not the best form of self-care. Working from home is tough! Luckily, I have a partner who helps me and encourages me to take time off for myself and my health.
Typically, pre-pandemic, I could be found doing book readings at schools or parent education sessions at churches. The days of book signings and classroom time quickly ended.
I was left with… what now?
Home with the kids all day long?!
Even the dog doesn’t like that idea!
Say it isn’t so!
I decided to try to do something important during this time just for me. I had to get busy on my own projects.
I had to bring the prevention message to parents and kids at their home.
I decided to take 5 steps!
- A New Website – I hired a website developer and invested in an overhaul of my website. I wanted to be able to sell my books directly from my website. And, take amazon out of the supply chain for at least a few sales. I developed new content, new resources, recent blog posts, and began to engage directly with parents and community organizations. A parent-friendly website was launched. Take a peek at http://www.kimberlykingbooks.com
- Get more personal – When parents order directly from me, I am able to provide a personalized book! Always happy to include a special note. I include a new bookmark with a coupon code. And… I visit the post office a few times a week to happily ship my books off to the kids who need them. Selling books directly to the customer feels so much more authentic! And I love connecting with families. I encourage parents to reach out to me on my website or on Instagram with any questions or concerns.
I took it to the next step and designed a curriculum for an extensive 3-hour class for parents full of professionally filmed video lessons and chats.https://proactive-parenting.teachable.com/p/simply-safe-kids
- Move online – I developed a short, family-friendly, online course for parents that is easy to complete in less than an hour and full of valuable resources. This FREE resource proved very helpful to parents! Parents asked for more!!
- Learn about Instagram – Once all of that was done, I realized there was a need for me to become savvier on social media platforms. I took a wonderful marketing/ Instagram class with Kat Corey. This action took a number of hours of study, planning, and researching. Over 80 hours of content, video, design, and marketing education kept me super busy!
5. Volunteer
I felt the urge to do something more community-oriented and use my skills to serve others. I connected with a local abuse prevention organization called The Rowan Center. I took the 40-hour counseling training and became a CT certified counselor. I will be volunteering on the crisis line this fall.
My kids have been quoted as saying, “I didn’t know you worked so much at home.” Which- is funny! They are typically at school and have no idea what a normal day looks like for me.
It is fair to say that the pandemic has pushed me toward a more authentic business model of operation. It has made me grateful for the many blessings I have in my life and humbled to do the work that I do.
While the development of my business, books, classes, and resources is ongoing- I am truly grateful to be able to help families during difficult times in these tough topics.
But, believe me…I am ready to get out of the house and back to school visits and direct parent chats. Until that day, let’s keep breathing and supporting each other the best we can online.