Navigate Uncertainty Without Burning Out Your Business Or Yourself

The headlines this week are an assault. Between inflation and the latest wave of tariffs, businesses are bearing the brunt of another economic and emotional gut punch.

And if you’re a small business owner, it’s not just noise. It’s pressure. It’s fear. It’s “Do we renew that contract?” and “Can we afford this?” and “How the hell do I plan Q2?”

Real talk, right now conversations with clients feel like handing sunscreen to someone who’s on fire. As a small business owner who works exclusively with small business owners, these days are a gauntlet. Every meeting, call, email and text is charged with fear, uncertainty and frustration.

Trust and believe, I get it. These big feelings are valid. And shared. I find myself sitting in conversation after conversation willing answers to loaded questions that I simply don’t have - along with, frankly, anyone else.

I’m not going to come at you with toxic positivity or sugary optimism. It’s not my style and it doesn’t do anyone favors.

Instead, I’ll share what I’m telling my clients today - small business owners namely in non-essential service and retail spaces - and telling myself to (try and…) stay sane.

What to Do When You’re Deep in It

Some practical shifts to help stabilize your business in shaky times.

• Offer a softer path forward. If you're in the non-essential services space (like me), now’s the time to revisit pending proposals or retainer renewals. Instead of ghosting or gutting, try a gentle “let’s scale back a bit.” Keep the door open. Stay in motion.

• Audit your ops. Can you trim some fat and run leaner for Q2? Doesn’t need to be a barn burner - just a few intentional cuts to relieve the pressure. Lean doesn’t mean less impact. It means less overhead and more clarity.

• Be thoughtful with cuts. Yes, marketing is often the first to go. But before you shut off the valve - pause. Can you cut all your paid ads and still keep your lead funnel flowing? Flowers don’t grow without water. Neither do sales.

• Nurture over hunt. Start with the clients already in your orbit - the ones who’ve already bought in. It costs less to keep trust than to build it from scratch. Loyalty isn’t just cheaper - it’s stickier, steadier, and longer-lasting, especially when the world wobbles.

  
  

• Add value without discounting. Slashing prices might feel like the move - but before you red-pen your worth, ask if there’s another way. Can you throw in a little extra, offer bonus support, or simplify your offer without cutting your rate?

• Diversify your revenue. Especially for my luxury brands - if most of your golden eggs sit in a few high-dollar retainers, you need a few gentler entry points. Dust off that starter package. Launch the download. Make it easier to say yes.

  
  

• Pivot without shame. This isn’t failure - it’s business. You can change your mind. You can pause or redirect. And just because you’ve already spent time or money doesn’t mean you need to go down with the ship. Sunk cost fallacy, meet your match.

Now for some hype: This is what you train for. You’re an entrepreneur - you’re wired to see gaps and fill them. Take a beat and look around. With problems abound - where and how are you the solution?

From Me To Me - Take What You Need

Reminding myself that calm is contagious and clarity is a choice.

The temptation right now is to zoom way out. To obsess over what’s next. As someone who lives a quarter ahead, I feel the pull too. My anxious mind wants to model, plan, and predict - both for myself and my clients.

But, as an elder millennial, I’ve weathered enough chaos to know: emotional brain craves control, while logical brain knows this is an exercise in futility.

Instead, I try to slow down, listen, and observe. I remind myself I’m a force when coming from calm, not chaos.

We don’t go down like this. If I meet my clients’ (entirely valid) charged, concerned, and confused energy in kind, we’re all sh*t out of luck. Boundaries, now more than ever, are the best way to care for my clients and myself. I can hold space without taking hits. I can support without absorbing.

Clear communication is kind - overcommunication is better. I tend to fill in blanks to my own detriment, and I assume most others do too.

So I do the next right thing. To the best of my ability, with the information I have right now, I keep moving forward. One hour becomes a day. One day becomes a week. You get the idea.

Onward. Never backward.

And finally - I remind myself that, to date, I’ve got a damn good track record of getting to the other side. It can be hard. It can hurt. And I can hate it. But I trust myself to move through it ...and help others do the same.

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You’ve done it before, too. You’re not alone. And you’re not done. You don’t have to weather this alone or wing it. If you’re ready to make smart, steady moves - let’s figure out your next right step.