Navigating Sickness and a Small Business

There are many elements of opening and operating a small business that are common knowledge: budgets, research, advertising, media, taxes, documents, quality products, making a profit. But one big thing that isn’t discussed is what to do when real life takes over.

At the end of May 2023, our son became very ill. We were able to come up with a reason for each of his symptoms as the week progressed so we just gave it time. We knew that sometimes kids just get sick and to monitor.

By day six, we knew we needed to get some answers. We headed straight to the ER after a rough afternoon and increased symptoms. Though we weren’t given a “this is what is wrong” answer, we were provided with a list of symptoms to look for, some medication to ease his discomfort, and instructions to head to the pediatric ER if he didn’t make any improvements within 24 hours.

The next day, we noticed a big drop in food and water intake. He was very lethargic and had decreased interest in his toys, communication, or any kind of interactions. But we stayed the course and continued to monitor.

The next day was Sunday, day eight. My husband and I chatted that morning and decided that we wanted to wait one more day before taking him in. We wanted to give his body a little more time with the medicine that was prescribed. Within just a few hours of being awake, we decided that waiting was no longer an option. Our son had zero energy, wasn’t eating, wasn’t drinking, and was exponentially worse than the days prior.

As we were finalizing our family’s game plan, I closed down my kitchen, contacted and rescheduled clients who were coming to pick up treats, packed a small bag for each family member, and we headed out the door.

We truly thought we would be back in a few hours.

After multiple tests, pricks, scans, questions, nurses, and doctors, it was concluded that his little body needed help fighting whatever this was. At this point, we still didn’t have answers but we knew that the lack of food and water was making it harder for his body to regulate and he needed help. By hour ten in the ER, our son was being admitted into the Pediatric unit with an overnight stay.

As a parent, you stop everything you are doing to be present in those moments. Be there for your child. Do whatever is necessary for your little to get better. But as a small business owner, what do you do?

You KNOW what you should do as a parent. You know that nothing else should matter. But there is this nagging feeling of letting others down. Those who trusted you to create those sweet treats to complete their celebration. The people who hired you to take stress off of them. Those clients who sought you out above all others and decided to hire YOU.

So, what do you do?

Thankfully, I had posted on my business Facebook page the day of our first ER visit. So when I made the announcement stating that we were being admitted into the hospital, the majority of my clientele was already aware of our situation. At this point, I reached out to the clients who had pickups within 24 hours to explain that their orders would be cancelled and refunded. Lucky, these were just flash sale items and not custom orders and they were very understanding. Next, I took a look at my calendar and came up with a “worse case scenario” plan for custom orders. I chatted with my husband and explained that if we were going to be there for more than a day, I would need to go home and prep as much as I could so we wouldn’t have to refund clients. I prepared a plan to ensure any clients reaching out about their upcoming orders that plans were in place and that their orders would be honored.

This was such a difficult conversation to have. Both to my husband and to my clients. It felt like no matter how I worded something, I was in the wrong. I was not holding up and being 100% to anyone at any given moment. Had I been working for someone or had a “regular” job, I would simply say that I couldn’t come into work and they would have to take it from there. But when you are a one man band, you have to figure out how to make all the dots connect even in the most unpredictable moments.

Thankfully, my son made some big improvements within 24 hours of being admitted thanks to our amazing team of doctors and nurses. But I have given a lot of thought on what I believe I did well and what I could do better:

1. Having access to all of my clients and their orders was key to quick communication. I have all my clients and orders through Square and was able to pull all contact information needed at any given moment.
2. I need to have a visible calendar on hand. This would have helped me prepare my “worst case scenario” timeline a little better. Since then, I place all orders to my calendar that is synced through my phone, computer, tablet, and laptop.
3. I had already left wiggle room throughout my weekly calendar so it was easy to shift things around. The end of the week is naturally more busy for me as parties and celebrations fall during the weekend. So the beginning of my week is relatively easy. This wiggle room was needed to add flexibility to our hectic situation.
4. Never run out of product. If I did have to head home to make orders, I had everything I needed on hand saving me a large amount of precious time. Since then, I always make sure I have two weeks worth of supplies on hand at all times.
5. Early communication through social media was a great tool. Though not everyone will post personal information on their business page, I felt it showed I am human just like them. It allowed more grace and so many amazing people checking in on our little family.
6. I need to keep all known bakers in my area in my back pocket. If I did have to cancel any custom orders, I would not want to leave my clients high and dry. Being able to help them by providing recommendations and even reaching out to local bakers would be imperative to good customer service and simply being a good human.
7. I should have updated my automated messages so I wouldn’t feel inclined to respond quickly and could stay more focused on my family.

This was such a hard moment to navigate. It truly felt like I was failing in all departments. Having a sick kiddo is never easy and can take a big mental toll. Luckily, we had some amazing doctors and wonderful people in a corner who helped us through this difficult time.