Raindrops on Roses, a growing virtual community, celebrates the pandemic pivots of event industry colleagues by Laura Bickle Bacus worked as a full-time event planner for eight years, including more than three years with Destination Toronto. In the spring of 2019, Bacus transitioned to a human resources position as director, people and development with Redstone Agency, an association and event management firm. COVID consequence: Bacus’ position was eliminated in April 2020 due to COVID-19 related restructuring. Her job search was challenging, having transitioned careers only one year prior. Bacus spent much of 2020 focusing on self-care and healing emotional trauma from childhood, work that she continues to focus on daily. Her side hustle: Recently, Bacus quit vaping nicotine and is helping others to do the same. This work has inspired Bacus to launch a new habit-forming coaching business and she’s developing tools to help others stick to new, healthy habits, and eliminate habits that no longer serve them. What she’s learned: Starting this business has taught me so much. I’m now very clear on my personal values, and the value I bring to the table. Creating a supportive online community at the Habitually Powerful People Facebook group and sharing my story widely has taught me the power of authenticity and vulnerability in deepening relationships and establishing trust. Her advice: When contemplating starting a side hustle or taking the leap as a full-time entrepreneur, pick something you’re passionate about, and do your market research. Make sure there is a demand for the product or service you’d like to offer. Don’t wait for your offering to be perfect before going to market, you might be stuck in planning mode indefinitely and miss opportunities. Get used to making iterative improvements based on trial and error and feedback from your clients. There may be naysayers—remember, those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind. facebook.com/groups/habituallypowerfulpeople Anyone who knows Debbie van der Beek, the publisher of Ignite, knows that she: a. is always cooking up something fun and innovative and b. is passionate about the meetings and events industry. So it should have been no surprise when she announced the launch of Raindrops on Roses, which she describes as “a platform for individuals to connect, share and support each other in a safe judgment-free environment. And for purpose, to assist individuals within the meeting and business event industry who have lost jobs or are dealing with reduced work hours/income as a result of COVID.” Each week, through Facebook and Instagram, Raindrops on Roses shares a story of an individual who started a new venture to make up for lost income. Raindrops on Roses also raises funds through the sales of Debbie’s own e-commerce side hustle—Helping Hands....Gorgeous Nails for Good— portions of which go to educational bursaries for industry associations. Since November, the group has grown to 700 Facebook, 160 Instagram members and, in January, Raindrops on Roses donated $2,500 ($500 each) to five industry associations (SITE Canada, CanSPEP, ILEA, MPI and PCMA), in the form of an educational bursary to assist planners who have lost their job or have reduced income to continue their education and skill development. Here are a few of the inspiring stories shared so far… Do the Hustle achieve & succeed (side) Moriah Bacus 28 | Ignitemag.ca | February 2021
