A letter to my (soon-to-be) college graduate from her mother, a small business owner.

Dear Avery,

(I wrote this letter publicly to you in honor of the hundreds of small businesses and minority-owned businesses that I have worked with over the years, all of whom are giving you and your classmates a valuable roadmap forward.)

Looking back to the first week in March, in the midst of the deeply unsettling unknowns swirling around us, we had no idea that everything about our daily life would change in such a short amount of time. We were hit early and hard in Seattle, which in retrospect I think was a blessing as it required us to focus and learn how to be proactive in a totally new and rapidly changing paradigm. But it wasn't without pain points and some very hard days. One of the hardest for me was when you got the news that your graduation ceremony had been canceled. By that point, daily news headlines included a ticker tape parade of cancellations, so we were not surprised, but nonetheless, we were crushed. It still makes me cry sitting here writing about it, even though that particular event feels like a lifetime ago in the arc of this experience. Anyone who has ever worked for something – anything – and has had the yellow tape drawn across the finish line, and the crowds cheering, and your photograph taken, and the trophy-over-the-head moment taken away can relate to the tears. But life is a vacuum and something will replace that yellow tape moment. You get to choose what will fill the space and how to pave the path forward.

As you know, I am a commercial real estate broker who specializes in retail, now in my 17th year. But that was my second career. Throughout my twenties, I held marketing and communications jobs in real estate, retail, construction and health care. I went to college during the Gulf War, graduated (first in my family) from college during a recession and endured economic setbacks throughout my career, including the dot-com bubble and 9-11. I didn’t move into commercial real estate until I was 31. You were 5 years old. Since then I navigated the Great Recession and the sudden loss of your grandfather and my revenue partner, welcomed new business partners in 2019 and hired a new broker during this pandemic. I have reinvented myself and my business multiple times. I have seen countless businesses struggle and fail, but many, many more meet their dreams.

One of my professional priorities during this crisis was to elevate our communication and advocacy for our team, clients and industry. In one of my recent communications I shared the news that incoming calls on retail spaces had increased considerably, and that further, the vast majority of the calls were from small businesses. Personally, I was not surprised. This has been part of my professional experience since day one. Some of the very reasons a small business might not survive this period are also some of the reasons they will be the start of our recovery. In general this group takes bigger risks, they leverage more of their assets, they work more hours, they are fueled by passion or a special expertise, they will operate with slimmer margins, it’s often a family business and investment, and they are usually intimately connected to their communities, employees and customers. These types of retailers and businesses led us out of the last recession and there are signs that this will be the case yet again.

Our communities are woven tightly around the small businesses and retailers that make up the fabric of our lives. And retail in particular is not for the feint of heart. It’s built on a combination of need, desire, value, connection and constant change and innovation. They provide tax revenue, jobs and needed products and services to the communities we love. They have to constantly adapt to changes in supply, demand, delivery, governance and competition. They balance value with profit, employee training and turnover, technology and connection, and economic rises and falls. They are the most resilient, innovative, tenacious and adaptable industry in my humble estimation. Right now, when so many will lose it all, others will find opportunity with a combination of limited resources, creativity and grit. Consider the companies born out of recessions such as one of my clients, Trader Joe’s (1958) as well as Warby Parker (2010), Tuft & Needle (2012), your money moving favorite Venmo (2009) and your hometown Seattle favorites Amazon (1994), Microsoft (1975), Piroshky Piroshky (1992), Molly Moon Ice Cream (2008), Rachel’s Ginger Beer (2011), Pagliacci Pizza (1970) and Nordstrom (1901).

So often the road to success is paved because of, not in spite of, adversity. Risk isn’t risk without challenge or opportunity to weigh against each other. Every single successful business person you know went through a lot of adversity.

However, while this experience affects us all, it does not affect us all equally. For people of color, there has been a disproportionate rate of COVID-19 infection and job losses, and in the midst of that troubling combination, George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis. His death re-ignited critical conversations around injustice and inequality, including ten days (and counting) of protests around the country. But despite the business interruption and property damage, that to some felt like another blow in an already challenging business environment, I saw with my own eyes a united community of landowners, business owners and community members helping each other, and retailers who opened their shattered doors and served their community while embracing the peaceful protests. It's true, there is a lot of loss right now — lost jobs, money, health, experiences, growth and momentum. But there are also signs of resilience, optimism, collaboration, and vitality. You and your generation are now sitting with the pain while simultaneously having the best opportunity to steward meaningful change.

Knowing all of this, how do you, my daughter and your friends, navigate this current period of uncertainty and adversity? My advice? Pretend you are now your own small business. Identify your strengths, partner with others, innovate around your product or service delivery model, gain/train for newly needed skills, use technology to gain an edge where you can. In college grad-speak? Identify what you can do today to earn money and gain experience, talk to everyone you know and then everyone they know, take some additional online classes to increase job-essential skills, offer to work remotely, do contract or free work, switch from a “getting a job” mindset to a “gaining experience” mindset, and be prepared and offer to do any and all of the hard work. Take it day by day, lay your bricks down wisely and stay focused on opportunity rather than loss. Fill that vacuum with positive progressive actions, ask questions, listen and stay passionate.

Your virtual graduation ceremony is in less than two weeks and I know I will cry with you as we honor that moment. The tears will definitely represent loss of a moment we all wanted to share with you in a different way, but also from a place of pride and humility that you will be the second graduate in our family, and one who is graduating in a time of unique opportunity. I know in my heart that you and your class will contribute more ethically, more effectively and more passionately to your own, and therefore our futures because of this experience and what it took from you, but more importantly, because of what it is giving you.

So my love, from where I sit and from my life view, I’m sorry you are not getting the yellow tape moment in the way in which you envisioned, but in my opinion, this experience is actually giving you a better chance at the yellow brick road.

Go get it and do good along the way.

My love and support to you always, Mom.