Women entrepreneurs are known to be strong and resilient. After all, starting and growing a company is not for the faint of heart. But the last seven months coping with the challenges that have come from running a business during a global pandemic have pushed even the strongest among us to the edge.

I have been amazed and proud of so many women in the Enterprising Women community who are managing to survive and even thrive) during this crisis by pivoting their companies into new opportunities they would never have imagined a year ago. You will read about many such stories inside this issue.

For those with employees, the challenge has been especially daunting. Many women have shared how they have done everything in their power to keep their teams in place and fully employed. For those who have had to furlough team members, they are working overtime to bring employees back as soon as they can. In some cases, they have parted way with some of their staff and found that the leaner company is thriving in new ways.

Attorney Nina Kaufman asks (page 22) if it’s possible to run your company from anywhere, and in many cases, that answer is yes. She shares her advice on building the tech infrastructure to work remotely—a skillset many have been forced to acquire to comply with stay-at-home orders that have been in place in much of the U.S. and around the world.

This issue is full of advice on managing your business during the pandemic—whether you are a sole proprietor or have a large team. It is my sincere hope that there will be less of a need for this advice in 2021, but many believe that this new way of doing business will have a lasting impact on us. It’s likely we may never fully go back to the way things were—and we may be stronger and wiser because of it.

I have been most concerned about the toll the pandemic has taken on our collective mental health. Check out two important articles on self-care in this issue from Judi Sheppard Missett (page 95) and Jeanette Hernandez Prenger (page 96). There has never been a more important time to take care of ourselves. As Judi says, it’s not selfish advice, it’s Survival 101.

One of the healthiest ways to move forward and continue to grow our businesses is to surround ourselves with other smart, compassionate women entrepreneurs who can share their best ideas and lift us up. You can do that by joining us for the 2020 Enterprising Women of the Year Awards Celebration & Virtual Conference, Oct. 19-20. Visit our website at www. enterprisingwomen.com and learn more. Don’t try to go it alone. There is a community of women out there ready to wrap their arms around you. Join us!