Chaos Busters 3-2-1 Action

How do you communicate with clients during a crisis?

Does it matter how you communicate with clients during a crisis?

Client communication is vital during a crisis. A business crisis is not a new term in the business world because unexpected events happen daily. The current COVID-19 pandemic is a unique one since it affects businesses worldwide simultaneously and in an almost similar manner. It is both a social and financial crisis for companies and employees. The persistent spread of the pandemic is changing the way we work, live, and how we interact, thrusting business leaders and employees into new territory. During this uncertain period, businesses must ensure that communication is ongoing, accurate, and transparent. 

In October 2020, a crisis struck my business. Cancer struck in our family, and the lens tightened into survival. I had recently hired new staff and had just onboarded a new client.

Here are three thoughts to provoke you, two ideas to inspire you, and one item to act on!

Read more at olindaservices.com/blog

In today’s podcast, we ask, “What can we learn from crisis? Can it teach us about our leadership style and our business resilience?”

A strong vision, courage, integrity, humility, strategic planning, team management, and focus make a good leader. Great leaders find the balance between business foresight, performance, and character. So, when there is a crisis, the team would expect the leader to use all of these qualities to inspire them and offer direction.

Your business can be faced with crises like COVID-19, service failure, or PR damage. How you respond says more about who you are and how you lead, than it does about the problem itself. It is challenging and emotionally disturbing with a crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic strikes. This type of crisis has never happened before and was sudden. The pandemic is unfamiliar and uncertain; there is a need for effective responses and strategic behavior from business owners.

Business owners learn from crises and they should develop a fundamental crisis response plan. You can find out more about developing a business crisis plan by visiting my website, olindaservices.com/blog, and search for the keywords “business crisis.”

Today let us focus on what a crisis reveals about our leadership style and business resilience.

 Here are three thoughts to provoke you, two ideas to inspire you, and one item to act on!

What to do after a business crisis!

Look at these possible scenarios;

1. It is Monday morning, and your computer refuses to start. 

All businesses deal with crises at some point. These could be a data breach, IT shutdown, brand damage, data loss, or even a global pandemic like the current COVID-19. A business crisis can be anything that is a significant disruption to your workflow or normal daily operations.

These situations can impact a business, whether large or small. Depending on the intensity of the crisis, there could be loss of existing and potential clients, damage to business credibility, reducing operations, and threatening employee's lives. At worst, it could lead to your business closing. Without proper strategies and plans to deal with a crisis, it is not easy to recover.

Several weeks ago, we spoke about planning for a crisis. How important it is to have a plan B. 

1. Plan Thoroughly

Now let's look at the next phase. Today let us focus on strategies to get back into action after a crisis.

Here are three thoughts to provoke you, two ideas to inspire you, and one item to act on!

Grief is an unwelcome visitor who arrives without invitation, disrupting life as we know it. It presents an even greater challenge for business owners—how do you keep things running when your heart feels broken?

This topic is deeply personal to me. I recorded this episode of Chaos Busters 3-2-1 Action after my mother passed away on November 30, 2020. It hit me hard. The grief wasn't just emotional; it impacted my focus, my ability to make decisions, and even my energy to run my business. On top of that, as the executor of her estate, I found myself driving 600 miles every six weeks to manage responsibilities I had never encountered before. It was overwhelming.

In this episode, I share my raw and honest experience of navigating grief while running a business—a topic many avoid, yet so many of us will face at some point in our careers.

While I speak about the loss of my mother, grief isn't limited to losing a parent. It can stem from:

I have been surprised at how deeply I grieve the loss of a client. When you work closely with someone, they become a part of your routine, your world. Their absence is felt, just like any loss. It reminds me of something Star Trek's Data once said:

"As I experience certain sensory input patterns, my mental pathways become accustomed to them. The input is eventually anticipated, and even missed when absent."

This quote resonates with me. The people we interact with—whether in business or in life—become woven into our daily experience. Their absence creates an emptiness that is hard to fill.

Grief has no set timeline. It doesn't disappear after a few weeks or months. But as business owners, we often don't have the luxury of stepping away indefinitely. Here are a few things I learned along the way:

1️⃣ Give Yourself Grace – Productivity won't look the same, and that's okay. Prioritize what truly needs to get done and let the rest wait.

2️⃣ Lean on Systems and Support – If you have a team, delegate. If you don't, consider outsourcing small tasks. Simplify your workload where you can.

3️⃣ Take Breaks Without Guilt – Grief is exhausting. Step away when needed, whether for a short walk, journaling, or resting.

4️⃣ Connect with Others Who Understand—Don't grieve in isolation, whether it's a coach, a support group, or close friends.

5️⃣ Honor the Loss—If you have lost a loved one, client, or mentor, find a way to remember them. A simple ritual, a written tribute, or continuing their legacy in some way can be healing.

If you're navigating grief while trying to keep a business running, know you're not alone. This podcast episode is my way of saying, I see you. I understand.

Join me for this heartfelt conversation on Chaos Busters 3-2-1 Action. I hope it brings comfort, validation, and a reminder that even in grief, we can find a way forward—one step at a time.

Sometimes, We Need Someone to Listen

If you're struggling and need to talk, please know you don't have to go through this alone. Sometimes, we need someone to listen.

Feel free to email me or schedule a free call—I'd love to be your listening ear.

📩 Email me at [email protected]

📅 Schedule a free call here: https://lisaolinda.consulting/listen

You are seen. You are supported. And you don't have to navigate this alone. 💙

Running your business during a crisis: Are you set up to succeed?

Here are the 5 Most Powerful Ways to Run A Business During A Crisis!

Unexpected events can wreak havoc on any business, large or small. Crises such as global pandemics or dealing with an IT system failure can paralyze a business. We have daily calamities, like personal illness, a key staff member's illness, or even the death of a loved one.  

To contain any of these crises will involve various approaches and agile measures to ensure its continued existence and survival. Crisis management is a skill and requires personal qualities for efficient execution. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has tested many businesses and taught us unforgettable lessons. In some areas, the pandemic continues ravaging. As a business owner, let's reflect and ask ourselves these two questions: 

Number one, what is my Plan B? Number two, do I have a strategy on how I will manage my business in a crisis?"

Today let us focus on ways to do business with dignity, integrity, and respect during crises leading to success.

Today's podcast is #2 of the series, Work Less, Earn More. If you are feeling the pain of

Do you want to work less and earn more? This 2-part podcast is based on my eBook, 7 Secrets to Working Less and Earning More. To get your free copy, visit https://olindaservices.news/7secretsgift  

"I can't do it all." My despair was real. I was utterly overwhelmed. I knew I had to do something!  

Running your own business or non-profit is downright HARD work. You know what needs to be done, but there is only so much of you to go around. How do you get it all done? 

Don't let your business stop growing just because you are not ready for employees. The secret is to work smarter, not harder. – Lisa Olinda

Today, let's focus on some tools you can use to drag you out of the constant circle of overwhelm. 

Technology is a tool designed to make life easier. We can use it wisely, but we must leave a margin to enjoy the beauty of life around us. If we get too wired to technology we miss those little things that can make our days brighter and our nights restful.

Preparing for your time off

Mom, my throat is sore. Honey, my client has an emergency. Have you ever been stuck in vacation woes?

As a mom to five children, I struggled to enjoy traveling. Don't get me wrong, I love to travel, but it seemed like drama ruled the day when traveling with the kids.

Since my Mom lived about 600 miles south of us, at least 2 or 3 times a year, we journeyed down I95 to I85. Adventures like ice storms, car sickness, weak bladders, and one year of arriving with three having strep. These adventures have made me immune to most travel woes.

Now that I own and manage my own business, I have different kinds of travel woes. I am finding that taking time away from my 24/7 business demands is challenging.

Today, we will learn more about how to prepare properly for our time off work.

Is Your Team Hindering Your Business? If you need to micromanage your team, setbacks might be more significant than progress. 

At the end of last year, my family went through a massive change in our lives. I had to devote 100% of my energy and attention to this crisis. I was out of the office for a while, and it interrupted some processes that I had just put into place. I knew that when I came back, I was not going to be able to take on everything by myself. If I wanted to help people whisper their chaos, I needed some help in whispering my own.