Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 was actually a year of growth for ARP!!! I shared specifics in my Best of 2020 post, but what I wanted to highlight the people God has led me to in this industry so that I can serve more people and serve them even better. 

It’s no surprise that it’s insanely chaotic running my own full-time small business while being at home with a toddler full-time…especially during a pandemic. Mercy. Need-less-to-say, I’ve had to get very creative with how I use my time, what resources I tap into, and have been forced to give myself grace and space to not be the perfect (not an easy task!).

I started this business with the perspective that I want my business to serve my life, not my life to serve my business. So, I knew my strategies needed to change when I began resenting my child because I wanted to be working on my business, just to go work on my business and resent it for taking me away for my child. (Literally, parents can’t win.)

Not okay.

So, I considered outsourcing whatever someone else could do at least 80% as good as me at home and for my business. (That percentage is honestly so arbitrary, but hey, it’s helpful to have a hard number for this enneagram 1!)

The list of tasks was quite long. As you can imagine, I couldn’t (and still can’t!) afford all that help. So, I prioritized my needs and weighed the potential rewards from my investment. And that, my friend, led me to hiring my own subcontractors:

• Private editor
• Virtual assistant
• Part-time childcare
• Assistant for mini sessions

It’s been about half a year now of working with each subcontractor…AND I DON’T REGRET A SINGLE THING! It’s because of them that I’ve gotten more bookings, be more present at home and with clients, and be more focused on making sure my business seeks out God’s divine purpose for it. My gratitude for them and this business is immeasurable.