Danger, opportunity and lessons learned

I saw a headline today on Facebook: “Every COVID commercial is exactly the same.” I couldn’t agree more. I get multiple emails a day saying the same things from my suppliers.

While the intentions are good, the message never varies, like a piece of copy written in an ad agency designed to make businesses feel better about their situations and help them connect with their customers.

There is nothing wrong with that, and certainly not with the good intentions behind it. Still, surely we can find more things to say and do than just do the same things everybody does.

Here in Maple Creek, businesses have really stepped up to serve our town with innovative ideas and thoughtful service. Because of the new ways to do business they have come up with, we have many options people in other communities may not have.

In fact, this new climate of social restriction has given businesses the opportunity to explore areas of their business plans they were always going to get to, but were too busy to spend time on.

At the last Chamber meeting, Norm Fiss pointed out that the Chinese character for crisis is made up of two characters: danger and opportunity. We must certainly be mindful of the danger of our current challenges, but we can also take advantage of the opportunities presented to us.

In Maple Creek, we are lucky to have business owners who see and act on those opportunities and give us a better way of getting through these trying times.

Let’s continue to support and celebrate them even after we move back to some kind of new normal. 

After all, there are many lessons to learn, and supporting small, local business is one we cannot ignore.

Tina Cresswell, Maple Creek Chamber of Commerce