Being an Epicure Consultant in the time of Coronavirus
It was the week of March 9th and I had extreme anxiety. I was scheduled to go to Las Vegas for the Epicure Conference and just didn’t feel good about what I was reading about the coronavirus pandemic. I was reading the news, I was worried that Canada wasn’t doing enough and then it happened. NBA has temporarily suspended its season, Tom Hanks announced he had it and the world changed as we know it. School and daycare were cancelled immediately after, my partner was doing long hours working in communications and I found myself hoarding library books, bags of rice and beans and craft supplies from the dollar store. My mother lost her job as well as millions across Canada and USA and we were all at home as things closed down.
After the anxiety went down and I had time to settle and like Maslow Hierarchy of needs I had met my psychological needs.
As I worked on self-care , talking to a therapist, meditating and journaling my feelings I felt all the stages of grief moving through my self. My work as a virtual assistant had also stopped and I was at home making 21 meals a week, with two kids not in daycare or school. My partner was also working at home and on what felt like a record amount of calls. My Epicure business got shoved to last where I needed to schedule it into the nooks and crannies of my life.
As the days went by and I had more time to adjust and deal with feelings I realized this didn’t change a single thing with my Epicure business. I was about 90% online anyway! I had done two in-person cooking classes online and both of those were after I achieved Epicure leadership. I did a few in-person events and networking but they weren’t the strongest parts of my funnels.
People still need food
The strangest realization was that while others businesses were greatly affected no one has said “hey let’s cut food out of my budget.” Travel, hotels, entertainment were taking a hit. But Epicure is food, and not sold through retail locations. As an essential service (food) they were still shipping and people needed Epicure more!
People are now trying to make 21 meals a week (breakfast, lunch and dinner) in a cost-effective way. They don’t want to be eating the same thing all the time, they are feeding their families and maybe they might have bought a massive bag of rice and 5 cans of beans and don’t know what to do with it.
Now I find myself in a spot where I’m thankful I can help people meal plan and my team can do the same. Epicure is still selling in the US and Canada and if anything my team seems to be growing as people figure out ways to shift into the new economy.
As I get used to my new normal of social distancing I’m really thankful for my Epicure business and that we will be able to thrive in this new economy.
Take care of yourselves and your families and #stayhome if aren’t an essential worker and stay safe.
