11 years ago my husband and I saw a gap in the tourist market in Marbella, Spain and we set up a bicycle rental. We grow the business from 15 initial city bikes to over 300 bikes of various models for different type of atheleets and tourists. We worked 24/7 and put all our money, blood, sweat and tears into the business.
All was going well until one day the government decided to put entire Spain on lockdown for a disease which in normal healthy people is nothing but a hard cold with a mortality rate of 1% or less.
Now since 14th March, over 50 days, we have had ZERO income. Which shouldn’t be a problem if you are an educated entrepreneur and have a few months expenses saved up. We had. As a family we can survive for 6 months with food and shelters with our savings!
The business on the other hand, not so much! Just before the COVID19 lockdown we had received our bike orders for 2020 - the season which is passing us by as I’m writing this. So all the money in the business has gone to pay for all those new shiny bikes for which we had booking until October!
Now we have bikes, no money, and no bookings. We have had over 100 cancellations. Can you imagine how it feels to each day open your laptop only to look at more cancellations and bad news? There comes a time when you eventually give up, surrender and let the emptiness that you feel just wash all over you.
The rent for the shop needs to be paid, as well as social security for the staff, insurances, phones and internet, electricity, our self employment monthly payments which is an extortionate amount of 370€ each! Etc etc
Now by day 50 something, I can with 100% conviction say that I have gone through all the emotions:
I took it as an extended holiday and enjoyed my new found “time” which I now could spend with my daughter, organise my wardrobe and even Feng Shui the flat! I did not care! It was the best feeling ever. I was calm and happy and just didn’t have any worries. I didn’t care!
Then I started worrying about the health of my family and friends and started calling everyone to see how THEY were coping, because I was just fine. Better than fine actually... I was relaxed and well slept for the first time since we set up Marbella Rent a Bike.
Phase 3, my husband started worrying and being the person I am, I took all his worry in my head and added some worry of my own. Now I couldn’t sleep anymore. I was restless and anxious and irritated.
He took a job in Sweden so that “we can at least pay the bills of the company until this mess is over”. So now I’m alone with a 6 years old that has to attend online school everyday at 9am and doesn’t understand why she can’t use the community swimming pool although it’s 30 degrees outside! (By law we’re not allowed to use the pool during the lockdown)
husband sets up a “gofundme” account. I was thinking “ah, he does not leave a stone unturned. This is why I married him! He goes above and beyond to make sure his family and his business survive this”. I was a proud wife.
until I started receiving the pitty phone calls from everyone we know. At that point I was reduced to a beggar. I wanted to drive my car at 250km/h into a brick fucking walk. What was the point? What Is the point? You work your arse off, you give to charity, you help friends and then this? Is there no justice? Why is everything so unfair? I cried and cried for days - just wanted everything to end. The pain, the humiliation, the headache... the constant headache. I just wanted it all to STOP.
Then the funniest thing happened. I got angry! Not a bit, but A LOT angry. Angry at all the fuckers that my husband or I had helped throughout the years and now none of them were sharing our “gofundme” link. We don’t want money from them but for fuck sake, share the bloody link! It doesn’t cost anything and maybe, just maybe you have someone in you FB or insta who has the means to donate 1€. Now I have a list. A list of all the fuckers that I’m never going to help or even talk to when we come out of this shit show. Because believe you and me, my hubby and I WILL come out of this mess standing. But then god help the fuckers that didn’t share my link and didn’t move a finger to answer to my loud cries or help.
And that’s where I am now. Like a caged animal who is angry and fed up and will rip anyone’s head of who even dares to look at me the wrong way. Now I’m in warrior mode. In “I’ll show you fuckers and I will make it” mode! In “I’m still standing and I will continue to stand” more!
So if you want to help us make it and read what happens next... please GoFundUs. Because we are great people and we deserve it. We have fought all our lives and we will continue and we will stand!