Survived and Thrived

Product Information

Bankruptcy: This writes off all debts but if you have any assets such as a property, they will be used to pay off the debt. “Bankruptcy hadn’t crossed my mind” You have been signposted to these short videos because you have been referred to, and are waiting to attend, the Survive and Thrive course or because your clinician, therapist or worker thinks you may find them helpful. Some of the lessons that Ukrainian businesses can teach us are ones that we have already learned from other contexts. Nerve centers and agile operating models, for instance, were critical enablers of fast response during the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, as the sense of urgency faded, many organizations around the world found it tough to sustain that momentum. Ukraine serves as an important reminder that shared purpose, hope, and personal commitment during a major disruption can sometimes do what traditional levers cannot. It also serves as a reminder of how easily hard-won lessons (for instance, on scenario planning and testing Achilles’ heels) can be lost as a major disruption fades from memory and smaller day-to-day challenges take its place. We have always been maintaining a focus on corporate culture, open communications, and shared values. From the first days of the full-scale invasion, I openly communicated with the team about the situation in the company by hosting daily live streams from the office, stores, on the road, while at the same time supporting employees with relocating and settling in the safer regions—this made employees feel engaged and valued. Second, Comfy has been consistently proving its values orientation by supporting Ukrainian defenders and volunteers from 2014, but in 2022 we doubled down on social responsibility. Organizing support of defenders and volunteers has united employees around a shared mission—protecting Ukrainian independence. As a result, we saw that the employer NPS [net promoter score] grew significantly, suggesting employees are proud to be part of Comfy. Focus on communications, culture, and values helped us ensure full transparency and made employees more engaged and motivated. For example, during the first days of war, when we were reluctant to reopen stores and bring employees to workplaces, teams in some stores proactively reached out, asking for permission to reopen stores and start working. Another example is the team of the store in the occupied city of Melitopol volunteered to organize a campaign to encourage looters to return stolen goods. Many people actually returned, and some even paid for the stolen appliances.” Nerve center: A shift to a wartime operating model Also, once you say things you can’t unsay them. The default belief seems to be that if you tell someone you are severely depressed they will try to be supportive and help you. Maybe that’s generally true, but I assure you that you can’t count on that. You also can’t control who THEY tell, and in what context they tell people. For me, my wife obviously knew my condition and she told my in-laws everything. And when my in-laws found out I was seeing a psychiatrist (for depression which they had caused), they immediately went to anyone who would listen and said, “See? That guy is crazy. He’s crazy!”

These voices were not a part of the discussions when the International Treaty was first negotiated, but they are now increasingly making themselves heard.But new demands are also coming from other quarters, such as chefs who are keen to explore the tastes and textures of traditional, and often more sustainable, grains. For example, Sierra Leonean chef, Fatmata Binta, has made it a point in her cooking to highlight fonio millets, which require less water and are very nutritious. Supermarket chains, particularly in the Baltic countries and Poland, were eager to step in and replace Russian-made goods with Ukrainian ones. I read a quote once about drug addiction… that either you were a ‘normie’, an addict, or a recovering addict. And that once you became an addict you could never become a normie again. And so I think it is with depression if it was severe enough. Basing my messages on the latest Government advice, I prepared my clients for the changes that might happen and how we would navigate this to continue to work together.

The arrival of the Windrush generation coincided with a period of postwar reconstruction that required labour to fill shortages. We didn’t really believe [there would be] a war, since like most other entrepreneurs we thought only the escalation in the east was possible. However, we still had a plan for a crisis. On the first day of the war, top management and co-owners met in the office and decided to dedicate that day to ensuring the safety of our own families as well as the families of our coworkers. From the second day of the war, management was gathering in the reserve headquarters, adjusting logistics models and implementing reactive actions. Our core decision was to continue operations—all in all, the company was idle for only one day.McCall’s Organics has been serving customers in the same location for the past 128 years. In the centre of the shop – hidden among the locally grown vegetables, seeds, vegan sausage roll filling and fresh spices – is an original red barrow that was used to wheel produce to and from the market over a century ago. “There is no other independent shop in Manchester where you can buy the variety and quality you can buy here,” shop owner Mark McCall, 59, tells me. Ten years ago, he opened another shop next door, McCall’s Exotics, to expand his offering. How have they lasted so long? He thinks it’s partly down to the growing trend of young people buying food to eat that evening. “Younger generations are more inclined to cook what they see on TV or on their phones,” he says. “Here you can buy ingredients to cook any cuisine you want: Indian, Jamaican, Thai …” Let me share with you how I went from a feeling of dread about the consequences of the pandemic to one of hope and success with a business that is now thriving despite COVID-19. The next attempt was about a decade later in New York City. I’d just lost my job and was living off my credit cards and spending most of my time buying, eating and throwing up junk food, mostly ice cream. I also spent time counting all my pills to see if they’d be enough. In between gorging myself and counting pills, I also was reading, first Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar, a semi-autobiographical tale of her own descent into suicidal depression. As the song goes, I did what I had to do and I did it my way,” he said. “As far as I’m concerned, live and let live. I don’t let things bother me these days.” Of my 25 clients, 14 made the decision to move to an online platform, whilst the others decided this was not suitable for them.

These strategies have been successful for IKEA, resulting in major growth. This year, IKEA opened 33 new locations and expanded into a handful of important markets. In 2021, the company plans to further its growth in new markets, including Mexico and the Philippines, in addition to opening up more locations in its existing markets. And I see a journey that at its end and through the years made this a better country. Their sweat and that of their descendants helped build our infrastructure – physical and social, their creativity infuses our politics, our industry, our arts and culture, our sport. I was immediately pro-active with my clients. Keeping my clients informed about their counselling sessions through these changing times was important. The buzz around the homemade food has widened the circle of customers who come into the shop. “We get people from all walks of life,” Patel says. “Locals use the shop for things they need, or because they love my mum’s food. Earlier today, a man came in who was visiting from New York and had been recommended our food by a friend.” It is also more difficult to take out credit while bankrupt and your credit rating can be affected for six years. Your bankruptcy is published publicly and could affect your job or cause your business to be closed down to sell off the assets.

How Groupon leveraged the GFC

While Howard believes the generation that helped rebuild postwar Britain and influenced its way of life culturally was taken for granted at first, he said understanding had increased in recent years – and he hoped it would continue to grow. I wish getting help had helped you, too. Whatever’s helped you to stay alive, I’m grateful. What’s the parachute you’ve constructed made of? I think you’ve said in past comments that being a dad is one reason for staying alive, if I’m remembering correctly. What else, I wonder? I’m so proud, the whole family is so proud of him,” he added, recalling their visits to Downing Street and the Houses of Parliament. “For ordinary, working-class people, it’s been a real experience.” But it is still predicted that Covid-19 may bankrupt more people than it kills, with supply chains disrupted, workers self-isolating at home and consumers spending less. The result of [an artist] handling it in his work may well be that he finds himself living it out. For the artist, in short, nature often imitates art. Or, to change the cliché, when an artist holds a mirror up to nature he finds out who and what he is; but the knowledge may change him irredeemably so that he becomes that image.”