Moving Forward with Business After the Wine Country Fires

Last week my husband and I traveled to Cabo for a vacation that we had been planning since last March. Five whole days without work or the toddler. It was a GREAT way to recharge after everything that happened in October (aka the Wine Country Fires).

We were in a place where so many other tourists were from the West Coast, so anytime my husband or I mentioned we were from Santa Rosa we heard mini gasps and people asked if we were okay. Both of us got really good at crafting the same elevator pitch about our experience with the fires - personally, we did not have to evacuate, but my mother did and she was with us off and on for two weeks. And unfortunately many friends I know lost everything, but everyone I know is safe and moving forward - and the Sonoma County community really came together to help each other out. It was amazing to see and be a part of.

We turned the story of loss and destruction into a story of hope and community. Something we heard that the news wasn’t showing outside of our area. We talked about how only a handful of wineries and restaurants were gone and how Autumn is my favorite time of year to visit Sonoma County because of the perfect (in my opinion) weather and changing colors in the vineyards.

We took the narrative and invited people to think about traveling here on their next vacation.

We may have lost a lot in the fires, but not our community.

A few stats from CNN and the Press Democrat:  

1,000 houses in Coffey Park, 1,000 in the Fountaingrove area, 1,500 homes in the Rincon Valley / Mark West / Larkfield-Wikiup areas. Ninety-four businesses are also gone.

Overall Sonoma County lost over 5,100 homes plus 1,500 other structures. Lives lost: 23 in Sonoma, 44 total in all four counties affected by the fires.

Over 20,000 people in Sonoma County employed in the hospitality industry (and that is JUST directly employed, not mentioning architects, lawyers, gardeners, bankers, insurance and people in other industries that are impacted by the hospitality industry here in Sonoma County.

Annual tourism spending in Sonoma County is $1.93 billion (and it is too soon to tell how fires affected this, though I did hear a stat that spending from outside is down 70% during Oct, the good news it is starting to pick back up).

We are just trying to move forward as a community... And while many lost so much, we are supportive of each other. 

Focus on your brand's NEXT STEPS

Business may be slow right now. But the bright side is that tourists are slowly coming back to the area.. but maybe not fast enough.

So instead of breaking down, bring your team together to focus on what makes your business special.

It is sometimes so easy to forget when you are stuck focusing on answering emails and daily tasks - but we all need to take a step back and grab a few good people to brainstorm out your businesses' WHY..

WHY you got started in whatever industry you are in. WHY you get out of bed each day. What motivates YOU and your brand. Write it down and come up with goals for the next year. This way you can create tactics in social media, or other marketing efforts to help you reach those goals.

It is a perfect time to remember what you are thankful for and create your next steps.

Writing from the Beach.

I know I am on my honeymoon to spend time with my new(ish) husband and to relax in the Caribbean. But as I sit here on the white sand beach, overlooking the gorgeous aqua ocean, reading #GirlBoss - I begin thinking about what my dreams are (other than doing exactly what I am doing at this moment). 

Becoming a better writer is a dream of mine. Of course, I want to be a published author of a book... But that isn't the end game. I'm already technically a published author, i.e., I have revived payment for my writing for a few articles in Vineyard & Winery Management Magazine. Just as I am a professional photographer because I have gotten paid for taking photos. 

I want to move forward with my dreams - a healthy life is number one, and will always be (this encompasses many aspects of "health" - healthy body, healthy mind, healthy work life, healthy relationships), but becoming a better writer and photographer are both dreams of mine as well. 

And both take practice. 

So. My vow, as I sit here on the beach typing this blog post into my iPhone - is to simply blog more, take classes on grammar, or editing, and even a photography class with Jeff (since he wants to get better at taking his beer photos). 

I am starting now. Maybe after my bellini.