By Mark G. Auerbach
I’ve been absent from Succeeding in Small Business for almost a year, due to a health crisis. I’d had premonitions over the last five years, and I turned those into some columns, from having a Plan B, if you’re self-employed or how to change course or how to make a graceful exit if that’s required.
In 2019, a fall, a broken femur, and 12 weeks of rehab and the beginning of kidney failure left me to re-evaluate my future. I managed to recover but had to go on the transplant list at Mass General Hospital. Knowing that mortality was in my future, we had to shuffle things. As the pandemic came along, we lost one major client who closed their doors. But Zoom gave us the opportunity to fine tune our social media skills and podcasting skills, and our business took off in a different, and more profitable direction. I was able to keep my staff, many of whom were part-timers, and add some. I sort of let Plan B slip into the back of my mind.
Things get even worse
Flash forward to Summer, 2023. I’d planned to take July and August off, so I worked overtime in June to pre-tape radio programs, write social media posts for clients, etc. July arrived, and I was too wiped out to lie at the pool. On July 26, unable to get out of bed, I called 911. As I was being rushed to the hospital, I found out that as a result of kidney failure I had suffered a massive heart attack, a stemi (the worst kind) with no symptoms. Into the ICU I went, after being prepped for dialysis, and a cardiac cath. My outcome was not promising. On top of it, my personal life was a mess, as a long-term friendship had fizzled. A colleague and best friend helped me get my life in order, after a recuperation of several months, and thrice-weekly dialysis, I headed to Boston for major surgery.
More preparations
I used that time to prepare the office to run in my absence. All travel and off-site meetings became Zoom, which clients could understand, and post-pandemic, they were familiar with Zoom. I cross-trained my staff to cover events, so I didn’t need to be present. I had colleagues at other agencies take over accounts that I couldn’t handle. We developed a plan to streamline our social media work. I only took on new clients, where we could handle the workload.
On January 30, I underwent a CABG open-heart surgery at Mass General in Boston. After four days in the ICU, and an additional 5 days in hospital, I transferred to a local rehab for a couple of weeks. On March 3, I went home, and I went back to work full-time on March 20. Full-time, between three days of dialysis a week, daily cardiac rehab, and other health-related schedule commitments. Mentally, I was ready to return to work in the ICU. Physically, March 20 was a stretch.
I’ve decided that the business is operating at my max, so I’ll only take on new clients if they offer us a rewarding new opportunity. I will concentrate on my broadcasting work. I will use technology like Zoom and FaceTime to interact, rather than travel, which is tiring to me. I am contemplating retirement once I’ve received a kidney transplant. After that, I just want to broadcast. My staff knows of my feelings, and I will not leave them on short notice.
Work is important to me. Working on my terms is more important. And, since my business has my name on it, I feel the need to be an active part of it. My staff is onboard with this. I still believe in having a Plan B, being prepared for the possibility that my health and well-being will shape the company. I am keenly aware of how my staff might deal with us reducing our operations. Their best interests are important. In some ways, I had to plan quickly, but I took advantage of the possibilities in 2019. And, thankfully, the quality of our work never suffered.
So, make sure that your Plan B is flexible. Make sure you can pivot on short notice. Keep your team in the loop. If you need to drop clients, let them know why, and place them with new people who can help them. And keep your options open. We only get one chance to do right.
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Mark G. Auerbach is principal at Mark G. Auerbach Public Relations, a Springfield, MA, based marketing, public relations, development and events consultancy. Mark is also the ArtsBeat reporter for Westfield News and MassLive, and producer of ArtsBeat Radio/TV and on The Mark Radio/TV on Westfield Community Programming and 89.5fm-WKSB, and a contributor to Pioneer Valley Radio. . You can find more information about Mark G. Auerbach Public Relations on Facebook, and Mark G. Auerbach on LinkedIn.
