WE WILL SURVIVE THIS TOO 💪💪💪

Dear Colleagues,
That day dawned.

The first working day, which isn't really one. Istria is in quarantine, and the same fate awaits the rest of us, it's a matter of time, 24 hours or 48 hours, it doesn't matter anymore, what's important is that we prepare and try to survive what's coming our way.
I didn't write "We'll come out stronger," because let's be real, this is a knockout that has brought us to our knees. It takes us back to the beginning of everything we've been building for years. Some will recover faster, some slower, but some never. Unfortunately.
That's the reality. Brutal and without mercy.

The richest and most powerful lost their statuses overnight yesterday, because this biological weapons game has no rules and there is no money that can protect you.
Both the small and the large suffer equally...

Speaking of little ones...
These are us, private individuals, people who pay our own salaries. If we don't work, there is no salary. If we go to a forced annual, there is still no salary. If we are on sick leave, the same thing.
If you own a beauty salon, you're bursting at the seams right now, I know. Because hairstyle, eyelashes and nails are the last hole in the pipe at this moment.

Well, now that I've shot these "niggers", it's time to get into "action".

Let's reset and prepare for this f... ucking pandemic!

1. Close and lock your premises. Check the electricity, water, gas... turn everything off, so that you are not accidentally surprised by the utility bill while you are away.
2. Call every client. Cancel appointments (because a lot of clients don't actually follow this situation as closely as we do and aren't aware of the risks)
Explain to clients that you will contact them as soon as you return to work and that now is the time for us all to stay safe together. Of course, it is recommended that they do not pull out the extensions themselves, that they do not tear their nails and that they do not bleach at home. I think that in the coming period the "natural look" will be totally socially acceptable and that's ok. Give them tips on how they can maintain their hair, skin, eyelashes or nails at home, because you know them and they trust you. We want our clients to come back, don't we? Take care of them.
3. Now that you've gotten rid of the "salon worries", take a breath. Okay, the so-called forced vacation is starting, so let's take advantage of it.
4. Clean out your closets. Clean your apartment. Watch movies. Read books. Watch cartoons with your kids. Dance. Sing. Cook together. Play board games. Talk. Work out your abs morning, afternoon, and evening (because we have no excuses for lack of time, right?)
We constantly complain that we are at work 24/7, that we don't get anything done. Well, now we have all the time we want. Let's make the most of it. After the initial shock and depression, we will actually realize that these "little" things actually lift us up and make us happy.
Every evil for some good. This forced distraction from work will help us all get back to normal family life - everything we actually wanted when we became self-employed.
"I work for myself, when I want and for as long as I want" somehow turned into "I work 24 hours a day and I don't see the sun or the moon"
This item number 4 is very important. It will take a few days to get used to it. There is also a moment somewhere when we will actually enjoy this quarantine.
5. Put all your finances on paper and calculate how much you have, what your expenses are, and how long you can "survive" without income.
6. If you are renting, call the landlord and try to find the best option for both parties. People are people first and foremost (at least most of them are) and people in need help each other. Just keep calm.
7. If you have employees, talk to them and openly propose measures that will be acceptable to both of them. We are all in the same problem and there is no room for blackmail, demands or crazy demands. This is the situation. We must agree to compromises and actions that will cause the least damage.
8. This won't last forever, it won't. We will get back to work. And clients will want to "get back to life" and get settled after quarantine. Prepare service packages for clients, but temporary ones. Make it easier for them to come back to you again. BUT, without undercutting prices!!! Don't become that rude competition that will work for peanuts just to attract clients. The goal is to maintain the beauty industry standard as much as possible. No one else can destroy us like we can destroy each other, right? Be smart. Use this time to plan future projects, treatments, services. Do your research. Don't lose hope.
9. Try to cut costs. Shop rationally.
10. Try to find some kind of additional work, which could help in filling the budget. Look for a new course that might reveal to you that you are talented in something you could not even imagine. Prepare the ground for the end of the quarantine, because the end will come, it WILL.
11. Don't go out unless you're allowed to. Don't be irresponsible. Just because you don't have symptoms doesn't mean you're not contagious.
12. Don't think "He doesn't want me". Think as if they will and make sure you avoid it.
13. If you are not feeling well, call the number provided for such cases, do not go outside.
14. During all this time at home, try to find interesting content to post on social media. Both clients and colleagues will be much more likely to read and watch something positive or funny than stories about the coronavirus.
15. Bring some materials with you. Practice isolating, making strands, hone that perfect ballerina. Play with glue. Yes, you will find that glue "works" completely differently in your kitchen or living room than in the salon.
Get your mom or sister some eyelashes - they probably haven't had time to get them all these years because we avoid relatives for treatments 😉

There's so much more that comes to mind... I'll leave that for another text. I'll have time to waste, though.

We will survive this Monday and the next one, and the one after that if necessary...
If we have been living with levies and taxes and surtaxes for years, what is the crown for us.
Team, hold on!
We are all in the same boat.
#stayHome

Xx
Martin