Things I Learned About Myself as a Small Business Owner in Indonesia during Covid19

Written by Caramia Sitompul

Covid19 was probably one of the hardest things Tioria had to go through aside from starting the brand itself. And I have to be honest, it was mostly a mental fight for me. As a small business owner, for me, one of the biggest struggle is that the business is undeniably attached to my self-identity. Perhaps there maybe a connection from the fact that it's art that I personally created, but this can be challenging sometimes to look from an objective perspective than a subjective one.

With the following context as of June 2020 this is what I learned so far:

1. You are not alone: When Covid19 forced Indonesia to stop all public gatherings and public locations it hit almost every business sector. As sales decrease, I became a bit depressed. Luckily I had friends that I was able to confide and pray with and though we might not be fighting identical battles, it was good to know that we are not alone. 

2. It's okay to take time to.. figure things out: If there's one thing I realized I do constantly is just to go-go-go. This season of my life FORCED me to stop and address some things that I should have paid more attention to. For me this time of slowing down allowed me to rediscover my priorities, focus on my health, and on my mental health. I also rediscovered my love of illustration, definitely a blessing in disguise.

3. Learn Learn Learn (or Re-Learn): Honestly, I've lost count of how many YouTube Videos, Podcasts, Audible Books I've consumed in the past 3 months (so grateful for Wi-Fi). I also re-taught myself how to edit videos (I think the last time I edited videos was 2012?). And what I find is the smallest step forward is STILL A STEP FORWARD. Every win is worth celebrating no matter how small. There's already so much negativity in the world, if you can build yourself up, that's a win.