Peace at last
Recently I’ve been discussing the effects of COVID-19 on people and their businesses and how profoundly they can be changed by it’s many influences, large or small, tangible or intangible, real or imagined.
Today I have a brief but heart warming story about a woman whose interaction with COVID took her to the depths of despair and now to a sense of elation and freedom.
I’m not going to identify the business or the person because it is both private and irrelevant, but the story is very relevant and might just touch something in you.
Mary owns a tourism business in one of New Zealand’s iconic tourist destinations and a favourite playground for New Zealanders. She’s been doing it for a number of years and has seen some real success in terms of visitor numbers, income and profile.
Her husband Bob, dedicated to her rather than the business, played his part and added real value, albeit begrudgingly.
The problem that they had was not identifiable until COVID hit and they had time to reflect. Where their hearts truly lay was in providing high quality, personalised guided tours of the best of the scenery, natural wonders and culture of their beloved area. What they quickly became enmeshed in was the joyless sausage machine that makes up so much of the New Zealand tourism industry.
It was never their intention to cart carcasses from Point A to Point B. Theirs was not a vision of bubbling mud, jetboats and bungy-jumping. For them, their part of Aotearoa is a magical and mystical place with an incredibly rich cultural history and background that is important and an enriching experience for all.
They never made it to where they wanted to be - ambassadors and guardians of the taonga. It was sad and they were not happy but so busy that they didn’t have time to reflect. Then came COVID. I started working with them on a plan to reconfigure their business to be a smaller, more intimate and domestic focused business that actually emphasised culture and the natural world as they had first imagined it to be.
But, something wasn’t right. There was initially a rejuvenation of energy and enthusiasm, but it quickly plateaued. I realised that I hadn’t dug deep enough into what they actually wanted for their future. I had just followed the brief - something we seem to all call “pivoting” now.
Through deep discussion and honest soul searching, what became apparent was that they were ready to move on from being tourism operators. They had another project to focus on that they had seen as being “one day”, without allowing for the possibility of that day being today.
I cannot begin to describe the emotion and relief and sheer freedom I felt on their behalf and saw in them directly when they agreed that this was not their future.
My brief changed in an instant. Continue recalibrating the business to become the one that they had dreamed of and make it attractive for a younger couple who wants to be part of the renaissance of tourism here that has a much lighter footprint and cares more about the whakapapa than the miles travelled and the volume of sites ticked off.
So transformed is their thinking about the future that the project doesn’t even hinge on selling the business. If it doesn’t sell, then there will be asset sales and this special little business will disappear from view altogether. That’s ok.
To Mary and Bob, they have done the healthiest thing anyone in business can do. They’ve looked into their own souls, seen where sustenance and nourishment of their spirit and relationships and financial security lives and are now off on a brand new adventure. No more tears, no more stomach churning anxiety, no more colliding expectations. Peace, harmony, love and passion and a blossoming business model that will do a tiny bit to restore the planet to health.
You can’t make this stuff up. Magic happens when you let it. If you’d like to discuss the possibilities for your future, call me on +64 275 665 682 or email me at john.luxton@regenerationhq.co.nz or go to the site www.regenerationhq.co.nz and have a nosy round.