Oh 2020. How we had such high hopes for you. Any year you start a business, you know the odds are stacked against you. However, this year holds the cake for testing each and every business owner in ways they never dreamed of.

For Elysium Marketing Group, we rang in 2020 celebrating our 5th birthday. Five years down and the best yet to come. Having grown and learned quite a lot in our first five years, we felt even more confident that we were equipped with the knowledge and team to conquer marketing for our clients. We celebrated (in-person!) with clients who had become like family, and we felt encouraged for both our good fortune and our clients’ good fortune alike.

That fortune changed on a Friday in March, even if we didn’t realize its breadth and depth. For me that weekend was my daughter’s 3rd birthday, so I’ve got the date hard wired in my brain. Like most, I thought there was a chance that everything would get back to normal in a few short weeks. I would go back to seeing the clients I loved and continue our work of getting them leads and driving their revenue. Alas, we all know that didn’t happen.

I can’t say that COVID hasn’t affected Elysium. We’ve lost clients whose businesses are teetering on staying open, we’ve struggled to keep our team as tight as possible using Zoom to the best of our abilities, and we comforted a team member who caught and suffered through COVID for a few weeks.

However, I can say through all the upheaval that COVID has brought, I feel truly thankful that Elysium has kept its doors open. I miss the in-person team brainstorms, and I REALLY miss the in-person interactions with clients, but we are SO fortunate that we can work remotely and get the job done. I’ve watched so many clients and business owners struggle to stay above water and as a small business owner myself, it’s truly heartbreaking.

In trying to find the silver linings of this year, I found a few for me personally:

  • At the beginning of COVID when things were uncertain and slow, I took the time to read a bunch of marketing books I’ve been wanting to read, including Ann Handley’s Everybody Writes
  • I’ve had time to think about the future of Elysium and what’s best for the business and our team. I hired a Digital Marketing Specialist who’s a wizard at PPC and SEO and is already an asset to our team
  • I’ve spent more time with my family. As a working Mom, the balance is always tough. I will forever be grateful for the extra time with my 6 and 3-year-old because I know I’ll miss this time with them when they are older and don’t want or need me as much
  • I’ve realized that if Team Elysium can survive this and help our clients do the same, we are positioned for much better things when “normal” returns

And Lastly, I need to offer a gigantic THANK YOU to all of Elysium’s supporters. What a year it’s been. We hope we helped you make it through this tumultuous year, and we know you certainly helped us.

Here’s to a much healthier, happier, prosperous 2021!

~Elyse