 If there’s one thing we can all agree on, it’s this: the last few years have not gone according to plan.
(If they have for you… please teach the rest of us your magic.) This was exactly where I started in my recent West Elgin workshop, Goal Setting With the Power to Pivot—a practical, honest, and sometimes humorous conversation about what it really means to adapt as a business owner in a world that keeps changing. Because pivoting isn’t a trend, a buzzword, or a sign of failure. It’s a leadership skill. It’s data in motion. It’s how small businesses stay alive, aligned, and moving forward.
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 The holiday season is one of the most hectic times of the year for small business owners. Between managing inventory, coordinating seasonal promotions, attending events, and keeping up with regular operations, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Effective time management is key to staying productive and enjoying the season without burning out.
 Liv Cooks: Crafting Meals, Moments, and a Sense of Ease When you sit across from Olivia Healey, you notice two things right away. She loves food and she loves people, and her business, Liv Cooks, lives between those two passions.
Perhaps Olivia didn’t start the journey with the title of “entrepreneur” in mind, but every step of her story brought her to the place where she can dream up and create balanced, ready-to-eat meals or a dinner party that feels like something out of a magazine. While she grew up north of Toronto, Oliva moved to St. Thomas while attending culinary school, and she loves this area as if she’d always been here. She built a life, found community, and carved out a path that blended her training with her instinct for hospitality. The through-line is steady. She likes feeding people well. She likes making things easier for them. And she wants the experience to matter.  December can feel like a sprint for small businesses—full of energy, foot traffic, and holiday magic. But it’s also one of the best times to plant seeds for the next season of your business. Even if many customers are just browsing, you can turn those quick December visits into meaningful January momentum with a few simple, intentional moves.
Here are five strategies local entrepreneurs can use right now to turn holiday interest into a new-year opportunity.  Officially opening in the summer of 2018, The Craft Hive, located at 120 Wellington Street in St. Thomas, is one of the city's many hidden gems. Owned and operated by mother and daughter duo Isabelle and Sparrow Nethercott, The Craft Hive is the newest chapter in this family's long crafting lineage. Not only have Isabelle and Sparrow been crafters their whole lives, but Isabelle’s mother and grandmother owned and operated craft stores as well. Isabelle’s grandmother was a tailor in pre-war Germany, and she owned and operated a lace and embroidery shop, specializing in unique, smocking-like embroidery. Isabelle’s mother, Elisabeth, grew up with sewing and needlework, as noted in a 1978 St. Thomas Times Journal article.
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