This Saturday March 11 marks three years since the declaration of a Covid-19 pandemic was made in Mexico. At the time we thought we would only be in quarantine for a couple of weeks, however, social distancing went on for months.
During this health crisis, we are facing great loss of loved ones, jobs, economic crisis and the disruption of our way of life to shape the “New Normal”. However, recent years have also shown us solidarity, innovation and resilience.
We asked some of the most successful entrepreneurs and executives what they’ve learned from the pandemic and if they’d have any advice for their pre-Covid-19 selves to share with our readers.
This was the answer from Loreanne Garcia Ottati, Co-founder and Chief of People Officer of Kavak, the second most valuable startup in Latin America. This Mexican unicorn has a valuation of 8.7 billion.
They took away the possibility of hugging the people we love: Loreanne García Ottati
“Although this is not over yet, as a woman entrepreneur I can say that the pandemic left me three lessons that today are fundamental pillars both personally and for Kavak, because thanks to this, we managed not only to get ahead, but also to grow and reach places where we never would have imagined, in record time.
From one day to the next they took away the possibility of hugging the people we love, celebrating or crying together and living new experiences. Now I value each hug, each moment, each conversation, among a long list of etc. much more.
Focus energy on what is in our circle of control
During the pandemic it was very easy to place energy in everything negative that was happening and in everything that we could not control. We tried to understand what was happening and we focused on building what we could under the circumstances; which helped us to be able to detect and take advantage of opportunities when they presented themselves.
The importance of understanding your business, growth and cost levers, especially during a crisis
This helped us to be able to pay off non-core costs very quickly and invest in what could make a difference.”
March Violante Martha Elena Violante (March Violante) is editor-in-chief and co-founder of Emprendedor.com and has a 10+ year career in digital journalism. She has interviewed figures such as Randi Zuckerberg, Daniele Lamarre, Zoe Saldana, among others. She has worked in media such as Entrepreneur in Spanish and English, Alto Nivel, Cine PREMIERE, México Desconocido, among others. “We are entrepreneur.com”