Two Bettys Meets COVID-19

Anna Tsantir, Two Bettys Owner

April 7, 2020

The Pandemic Strikes

As the owner of Two Bettys, it has been devastating to watch this community and business I built over 14 years shatter into pieces in a matter of days. While our commercial cleaning crews are still out on the front lines cleaning, residential cleaning (which is 95% of our business) is completely shut down. I have been grappling with the lack of control I have over what’s happening. As an entrepreneur (and a human being!), being a victim of circumstance feels awful. I have been trying to find some peace in all of this.

A dear manager of mine changed my perspective in an amazing way. This very strong soul whom I have worked closely with these past weeks to make decisions I never thought I would have to make, this person reminded me that while I may not be comfortable with the vulnerability that comes with being the victim of something, the other side of being a victim is being a survivor. 

I am working to make sure that Two Bettys survives for all of those that want to come back. We may be down 85% right now, but we choose to see this as an invitation to re-ground and prepare for what’s next. Survive this thing, while still giving what we can, where we can, to help those in greater need than us.

And, we want to remember those at the highest risk of being hurt, and honor and assist those that cannot stay home and be safe because they work in healthcare, or they are delivering much needed supplies across the country or city, those in grocery, at a recycling plant or cleaning an essential business.

Collectively we are demanding that our representatives consider the thousands of us impacted. And collectively we work to understand how much the luck of the industry we worked in, or privileges we hold, has determined our current situation. We seek to honor the working poor, and the single parents, the chronically ill, the elderly, the artists, the students, the caretakers, and yes the entrepreneurs, the restaurant owners… and we hope that this is a time for all of us to evolve together, and emerge from this pandemic united by compassion for one another.

Even as we work for systemic change,, how can we maintain and sustain mutual support? How can we all come together for each other?

Getting to the Other Side…

This extraordinary time has us pulling from past experience, and is a relentless exercise in patience, fortitude and problem-solving through transitions and new developments. 

Luckily that’s what we do anyway as a small business (maybe just not on this scale) – we innovate constantly, and adapt nimbly to circumstances as they change.

The solace we are taking at Two Bettys, while we try to keep our nose above water, is that we have our mission and values to keep us grounded. We already have a roadmap for how we want to show up during this time.

The support and kind words from our clients, former employees, and furloughed folk, and our friends and cohorts has been the wind in our sails as we try to navigate through the constant pivots and transitions of these past weeks. It felt amazing to get out of our own challenges and bring cleaning supplies to friends in need, and clients who are immune compromised and cannot leave their homes. It grounded us in the power we still have. 

This isn’t a time to let our fears undo our values and what we have committed to. And we are hoping to pivot in a way that still allows us to stay green, and stay clean, even when faced with a crisis. So stay tuned! We are still here and are fighting hard to bring back those we have had to say goodbye to momentarily.