The One Move That Saved My Business

Let me tell you about that time where I forgot to bring important documents and photos with me on a CEO Vacation and was about to miss a career make-or-break deadline. Yes, me, the queen of planning forgot an important deadline. Shit! Well, shit happens, but it just proves that to-do lists are life and you absolutely need to have one (or equivalent) to survive being your own boss. And life in general, if I do say so myself. Even if you just set phone reminders or calendar appointments, or post-it notes stuck to your computer — whatever you need to move that needle forward and not drop the ball.

Stephanie de Montigny, Work-From-Home Boss Mama (Photographer, Blogger, SEO Strategist)

To set the scene: I work from home and run three businesses, yes three, and I also am watching my toddler full-time due to the pandemic, and since my in-person services were shut down for so long I also started a day job working from home. To say my plate is full would be an understament; it’s piled high and being riskily balanced and ready to come crashing down at any time. Needless to say my personal time went out the window when they let my businesses resume working with clients. But it was okay. I’ve got things under control. Until today, when I got an email asking when I would be sending the [important files] over today (the deadline). Shiiiiiiiit! I forgot to add that to my to-do list. No big deal, I will just put everything else aside for 20 minutes and get it done. WRONG! I am currently out of town staying with family so that I can get a little more help with childcare to get other work done, so I am several hours away from my desktop that has those files on it. So I am forced to either miss the deadline and have a huge red flag attached to my career and completely burn this bridge OR hop in the car and drive all day to get back in time to make the deadline. Not exactly ideal, but this is a make-or-break moment for my reputation.

So here’s what I did instead: I opened up my backup software website from my travelling laptop, logged in, browsed my desktop backup, chose the files to download, and emailed them to the correct person. Crisis averted! Saved myself over 8 hours of driving, my career, and my sanity. All for under $100 for the year. Money well-spent if you ask me! So you bet when I am looking for subscriptions and expenses to trim, my backup software will never be on that list because it is a must-have in my life. Something I really wish I had had when my backup hard-drive failed several years ago.

I encourage you to take my blunder as a lesson on what NOT to do, but also as a reminder that if you don’t already have your backup plan set up, you totally need one! For business or personal, Backblaze has got you covered. No, this is not a sponsored post, but I am absolutely sharing my referral link so that you can get your hands on a free trial to see for yourself.

Cheers!

stephanie de montigny SdeM handrawn initials ottawa blogger

Yes, there are affiliate links in the post, but they are to things I would have linked to anyway, and at no additional cost to you, allow me to make a few pennies towards the cost of motherhood—it ain’t cheap! Thank you for any support you can offer.