International Women’s Day is a moment to reflect on the resilience of women running small businesses and navigating the unexpected challenges that come with it.
Plans vs. Reality: The Unexpected Journey
I had been looking forward to traveling to Spain for the fabulous Costa Women Conference in celebration of International Women’s Day. It was going to be my first time attending since lockdown, and I had planned to share a great blog and live updates from the event, highlighting some of the wonderful women there.
However, like so many women in business, what I planned and what actually happened turned out to be very different. A traffic accident in France and a long wait for spare parts have made it impossible for me to reach the conference.
2025: The Year of the Unexpected!
This year seems to be full of unexpected challenges. At KoffeeKlatch, we’ve seen our customers navigating difficult situations—caring for aging parents, sadly losing loved ones, handling sick children, facing equipment failures, floods, storms, and more. It’s not just me, and it’s not just the women I know—2025 may well be the year we all learn to “expect the unexpected.”
The Power of Flexibility in Self-Employment
One of the incredible things about being self-employed is the flexibility it gives us. Many women choose self-employment because it allows them to balance caring responsibilities in ways that a traditional full-time job simply wouldn’t. But it’s not just family obligations or unexpected travel delays that test our resilience—our teams, too, can either be a source of great support or added stress.
Thankfully, at KoffeeKlatch, I have an amazing team backing me up. Despite my unexpected stay in what is essentially a communications black hole, they have ensured minimal disruption—a testament to the power of having solid support systems in place.
Why Contracts Matter When Life Gets Unpredictable
Within our KoffeeKlatch customer group, we’ve been discussing why our contracts are designed for teams from the outset. Having that structure in place gives business owners the flexibility they need when life inevitably throws curveballs. One key discussion has been around the contractual right to send a substitute—something that differentiates a freelancer from an employee.
New freelancers sometimes want to change their contract wording, but our basic level contracts don’t permit modifications. These conversations, however, often reveal that the contracts already provide the necessary flexibility—or can be adapted using the included forms. It’s tough to predict the future when you’re starting out, but with the collective experience of thousands of KoffeeKlatch customers, we’ve got a strong understanding of what’s likely to come.
Celebrating Women’s Strength and Support Networks
As we celebrate #InternationalWomen’sDay and the amazing women in our community—our clients, our team, our friends (and the supportive men in our lives too)—let’s acknowledge how incredibly adaptable and resilient women are. We know all about dealing with the unexpected. And hopefully, before this extraordinary year gets much further, we’ll all be pleasantly surprised by some unexpected good fortune as well. Let’s face it we are going to need it
We revisited this theme again in our latest article looking at how professional boundaries and contracts help small business owners manage the unexpected challenges of client work.
Read the newer article here:
If I Charge for This, Will They Leave? Agree It Before You Start
