Let’s celebrate the survivors, the thrivers, those who didn’t survive and those still recovering!

Today I read an article on Providoor, an online marketplace for high-end restaurants co-founded by celebrity chef Shane Delia during the COVID lockdowns, has abruptly entered liquidation:

Providoor collapse: Shane Delia’s restaurant delivery service goes into liquidation (afr.com)

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This story has so many layers to comment on.

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As a member of the Melbourne community, which was the most locked down city on earth, Providoor was one of the very few glimmers of light during some of the darkest times our city and the world has faced (at least in our generation).?

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As a consumer, Providoor allowed so many people to indulge in fine dining at home and allowed many high-end restaurants facing collapse to continue trading via this online platform, and by extension supported many hundreds of jobs in the hospitality sector during a time when this sector was crumbling.

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The human benefits that Providoor drove went beyond just providing a weekly highlight of good food to those who could afford it, but during a time of economic and mental distress for so many people losing their businesses and their jobs, this platform was there, creating an avenue of revenue and jobs for so many.

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As a keen advocate of how technology enables businesses, I watched Providoor keenly as it grew. It was a great example of how a great business idea (and a bit of capital) can come to life rapidly using ubiquitous technology and cloud platforms available to anyone with a great idea.

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Providoor’s speed in activation during a time of distress is testament to the power & speed of the cloud.

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As a founder and operator of a tech business myself, this story saddens me, makes me proud and reminds me that there are many untold stories out there we must celebrate and reserves of resilience we can all learn from.

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It always disappoints me to see a business go under, whether it’s a competitor, adjacent business or a business in a completely different field, the mental and emotional toll a bankruptcy can have on the owners and operators would be immense and the employment prospects it extinguishes for so many people can be devastating not just for the employees but also for their families.

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I’m also proud, as this story reminds me of the darkest days of Covid not only as a public health crisis but as a CEO and co-owner, who like so many CEO’s had to navigate the public health issues Covid created and steer our companies through the operational and financial tightrope that the sudden impact of shutdowns rained upon us all.

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Like so many, we saw customer projects stalled as businesses everywhere halted everything to preserve cash.

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I and my leadership team were confronted with so many issues confounding us all at once:

-????????How would we survive if revenue stopped?

-????????How do we retain all the talent we have if there was no work?

-????????How do continue servicing our customers without disruption to their operations?

-????????How long can we hang on before we have to start making redundancies in our business?

-????????If we do have to make redundancies, how do we reduce the financial and emotional impact of job losses on both those that leave and those that remain?

-????????How do we maintain a positive working culture when we’re all separated?

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For my leadership team, they were confronted with the personal pressure of fronting up every day, wearing their leadership hats, making hard decisions but always having in the back of their minds “what did this all mean for them personally?”

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And for me personally, I acutely felt the massive responsibility to my team, my customers, my investors, my board and my own family, of ensuring our business survived and I felt the intense pressure to maintain as many jobs as we could in the business not for business reasons only but because I felt the deep responsibility to our broader community of ensuring we support as many families as possible through these uncertain times, and I had to do that whilst remaining calm under immense pressure, acting as the shoulder so many could cry on when required, absorbing the frustration expressed when our team was unhappy, and maintaining a staunch, positive facade to all of my stakeholders (and my family).

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How would I lead knowing so much was at stake??How would I face into my team, our customers, our suppliers, our board and our investors, and could I maintain the energy, clear headedness, attitude and stamina that was required under immense stress for a long period of time (because none of us knew how long this thing was going to last)?

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I am proud that SXiQ not only survived but ultimately thrived, and this was down to so many things, our customers continuing to support us, our team continuing to believe in themselves as a team and in the leadership group, my board and investor support and the strong stewardship the leadership team demonstrated throughout.

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But this blog isn’t about blowing our trumpet, this blog is a reminder of the deep respect we must all have for the CEO’s, entrepreneurs, business owners (large and small) who had to steward their enterprises through a situation none of us have ever lived through or been trained for.

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As a member of society who lived through Covid, I am well aware of the sacrifices made by our healthcare workers, our policy makers, our volunteers and our teachers and whilst I can’t speak for those experiences, I will eternally be grateful for the sacrifices made in those fields too.

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For me, I can offer a view of business and leadership during this time, and I know this: whilst leadership roles can be very rewarding, in times of crisis it can also be extremely challenging, stressful and isolating.

So, as we look back at those stressful times, we should celebrate those who survived and even thrived… but we must also celebrate those who tried and didn’t get through, and those who are still trying to recoup from the impacts. We should celebrate all those that gave it their all and for the resilience they showed and continue to show.

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Our new economy (which is still working itself out) will be built on the shoulders of all the sacrifices made across all aspects of public and private sectors. There are powerful lessons coming out of Covid for each of us in our own fields and there are teachers of leadership and resilience strewn throughout our community, we need to celebrate them, all of them - the winners and the losers.

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Finally, to Shane Delia and the Providoor team, thank you for the work you did and the impact you had and I wish you the very best in your next chapter.?