2013: I had a lumpectomy (benign thankfully!), two months later my sister (who was also my primary team member) was diagnosed with breast cancer and I attended every doctor’s appointment, chemo and radiation session, spent a month in Virginia for proton therapy treatments, did her grocery shopping/prepped meals, etc.
Late 2014: Her cancer went into remission.
2015: Her cancer returned and a repeat of 2013 ensued: chemo, surgeries and standard radiation which made a huge difference. Then in late 2015, I had emergency spinal surgery that resulted in me being unable to speak above a whisper for about six weeks.
2016: Our mum got sick. I went to South Carolina and was her full-time caregiver for 9 months until she passed. After she passed, my sister’s cancer got worse, and we were back in Virginia for another month of proton therapy then to South Carolina to close up mum’s home.
2017: Moved in with my sister to be her full-time caregiver until she passed in July.
2018: Got divorced.
I’ve never thought of the past several years as a timeline before. It’s always been “Life BC” (before cancer) and now.
Why am I sharing this?
Quite simply, if my business was based on the launch model, I’d be out of business. It never would have been able to handle the above let alone steadily, and sustainably, grow year after year.
Launches aren’t sustainable as a business model that allows for life, recessions and crises to happen. And they do happen, usually out of the blue.
Wondering what does work? See the business model that saved businesses in 2020 here.