The Wake-Up Call Every Business Owner Needs: How to Prepare Your Business for the Unexpected (Even When You Think You Can’t) with Erin Pelicano
The Wake-Up Call Every Business Owner Needs: How to Prepare Your Business for the Unexpected
It's the question no one wants to ask. But after what happened to Erin Pelicano, it's the question every small business owner needs to answer.
In 2020, Erin was living what looked like a thriving life. She'd built a successful fine jewelry brand after transitioning from engineering, was raising three kids, and was navigating the chaos of COVID lockdowns like everyone else. But underneath the surface, something was very wrong.
After a year of unexplained abdominal pain that doctors dismissed, Erin was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer at just 43 years old. She was healthy. She had no family history. And suddenly, her full-time job was survival, not running her business.
What happens when the thing you never thought would happen actually happens?
For most small business owners, the answer is terrifying. Because we're not prepared.
In this raw and honest conversation on the Creatives Rule the World Podcast, Erin shares what it was really like to fight cancer while trying to keep a business afloat. She talks about the systems she wishes she'd had in place, the insurance she didn't know she needed, and the mental toll of realizing your livelihood is hanging by a thread.
But this isn't just about health crises. Erin's story opened her eyes to a much bigger truth: small businesses face constant threats, and most of us are flying blind.
Cybersecurity breaches. Social media accounts getting hacked and taken down. Business partners dying without key man insurance. Rogue customers launching smear campaigns. Market shifts like tariffs. The list goes on.
That's why Erin launched The Venture Project. It's a mission to help small business owners build resilience through three core pillars:
- Prepare & Plan – Have systems in place before disaster strikes
- Know Your Adapt Zone – Understand what you're willing to pivot on (and what you're not)
- Evolve Strategically – Know when and how to shift without losing yourself in the process
This episode will make you uncomfortable. It will make you think. And it will make you ask yourself the hard questions you've been avoiding.
Because the truth is, you can't predict what will happen, but you can prepare for it.
🎧 Listen to the full episode now and start building a more resilient business today. Your future self will thank you.
xo, Tracy
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Links in this episode:
Follow @theventurepro on Instagram
Holiday Sales on Repeat Workshop
The Desired Brand Effect Jewelry Sales Accelerator
Buy My Book: The Desired Brand Effect