Working from Home… Again
Kathy Huntebrinker, Owner of Simply Clean Laundry Service, recently wrote down her thoughts on the current corona situation and how it has changed her life these last few months. As small business owners, being flexible and having the ability to pivot and adjust to changing situations is key and she does this extremely well. It’s fun to look back on how our lives have changed in the relatively short time we’ve been doing this but we wouldn’t change it for anything. Enjoy her blog post below and we hope you and your family are healthy and doing your best to adjust to the current situation we find ourselves facing.
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Once upon a time, I was a “work from home” mom. We bought the then laundry business and I ran it from home while having three kids within four years. I became accustomed to working during nap times and managing work and home activities. If one of my kids was laughing, babbling or crying during a phone call it was all right since I was talking to other parents or soon to be other parents. I vividly remember signing up a new customer sitting in the backyard with Caitlyn scribbling all over the sign up sheet, or Norah playing Squinkies on the floor next to me as I finished a route or Ryan sitting on my lap playing with his own computer (a calculator) while I wrote an email. As the business and the kids grew, they eventually all went to school and I became a “work from work” mom. When we bought our current facility, I suddenly had my own desk and stopped doing extra folding and deliveries so I had an office job for the first time in my life.
Now, fast forward five more years and the arrival of the pandemic and schools being cancelled and I find myself back to being a “work from home” mom. I stay home with the kids in the morning to make sure school work is getting done and then head into work to finish up routes and check in with our staff. Instead of scribbles and Squinkies, we now have Google Meets, Schoology and virtual learning to work around. I find myself with acute and obtuse angles and algebra equations on my work papers instead of preschoolers’ alphabet letters, stick figures, and scribbles. And once again, if I answer the phone from home, it is okay if you hear my kids talking, laughing or singing in the background, because now most of you are working from home as well. My thirteen year old even thinks she is ready to answer the business calls since she has been listening to me (we haven’t gotten there yet, but you never know…) It is crazy when life comes full circle, but we are all in this together and someday I may be back at my full time office job. But for now, I will enjoy the kids and the work all combined into one.
Kathy Huntebrinker
Owner, Simply Clean Laundry Service
314-782-2476
