Road Trips, Wildfire Evacuations, and Clean Books: What a Crazy Summer Taught Me About Business

If you had asked me back in May what my summer plans looked like, I would have told you about a beautiful cross-country road trip. I would not have predicted that I’d spend nine days of it running a business from a hotel and an RV parked at a fairground during a natural disaster.

Life comes at you fast, especially when you are running a business.

This summer, my husband and I were fortunate enough to drive all the way across the country and back. We had an incredible time visiting our son and his family, soaking in the views, and enjoying that distinct freedom that comes with being your own boss.

But just two weeks after we finally unpacked the RV at home in Spokane, Washington, the unthinkable happened. The Old Trails Fire sparked, and we were suddenly under mandatory evacuation orders.

We packed what we could and spent the first three nights in a hotel room, glued to the local news. Once we finally received safety approval to slip back into our neighborhood, we pulled out the RV and moved operations to the Spokane Fairgrounds, where we lived for the next six days.

We are profoundly lucky. Our house survived the flames, but many in our community lost absolutely everything.

As the smoke cleared and we finally returned home, I found myself reflecting on a major silver lining through the chaos: the incredible resilience of a truly virtual business.