How to Pivot When Plans Go Awry By Brittany Wallins

Brittany Wallins, permanent makeup artist & entrepreneur is sharing her experience with pivoting her beauty business when plans went awry. 

OK, so things don’t always go as planned (hellloooo 2020). In fact, life is always throwing surprises at us am I right? Well, that doesn’t mean you have to throw in the towel on your dreams, and you definitely don’t have to stay complacent with where you are, just because you lost traction on where you were going. So what do you do?

Well first of all, BREATHE. Inhale……now exhale. Got your breath? Ok now, be kind to yourself and let go. You need to realize that the majority of things are NOT in your control and that’s ok. You just need to learn to pivot. In fact, that has been my word since 2020. 

Time

One of the things that has helped me regroup is time to myself. Now, as a mom, wife, and business owner, I know that finding time for yourself Is not an easy task. You literally have to buy out time for yourself. Buying time meaning that you are purchasing it with time taken from something else. Now for me I usually find that time while driving by myself, when I’m in the gym or alone in the bath. But for you, it may be walking the dog, going to a coffee shop or even waking up before the kids to have some peace and quiet. However you find your time, remember it is a necessity and don’t minimize the importance of it. 

List

Now, make a list. What was your goal? How was it impacted or thrown off course? What is the solution? For me, my goal was helping women feel beautiful and confident as naturally as possible. My goal/business was impacted by the dreaded Covid-19 which caused (to date) 2 closures of my business. So how could I help people while I was locked in my house? Well, during the first lockdown I noticed a surge in DIY beauty, I mean just because we were all in lockdown, that didn’t mean we didn’t want to feel good about ourselves. In fact, looking good is often translated to feeling good. SO! That catapulted my journey of finding DIY solutions that could help women feel good in the comfort of their own homes. It resulted in me launching my second company Brow Honey (@Browhoney.ca) which helped me thrive through lockdown #2 and is an ongoing success. 

Backup Plan

Now, maybe you have your footing after 2020 wreaked havoc on us all, BUT that doesn’t mean you will never lose it again. So, my advice is to have a backup plan in place. Once you have one, either file it away or slowly nick away at it.  Maybe your business is booming, but unexpectedly you find out you're pregnant…..then what? Maybe you have a bustling studio, but you accidentally break your hand and can’t work….then what? You see, we are all subject to time and unforeseen occurrences. My biggest advice is to look at the big picture/end destination and decide what detours you can take if necessary. 

So, if things go awry, remember to breathe, take some time alone, figure out a new plan/detours, and always have a backup plan. Use 2020 as a wakeup call and move forward so that the next time something unexpected comes up (and it will eventually), you won’t be caught off guard and can pivot like a pro.

Follow Brittany on Instagram and read more tips on pivoting here!