Taproot Reflection
Taproot reflection
BY: MACK MALE AND KAREN UNLAND
Taproot started with VMS in April 2020 – which was perfect timing, as it turned out.
The COVID-19 pandemic had hit Edmonton and like many businesses in our community, we were negatively impacted. We lost a key customer very quickly and our growth plans for the rest of the year became uncertain. We are grateful we had a team of experienced Mentors to turn to for guidance during those trying times.
The saying goes that you underestimate what you can accomplish in a year and overestimate what you can accomplish in a day. That rings true for Taproot. It often feels like we’re behind and the task list is never done, but upon reflection, we have made significant strides forward. Over the last year, we made our first full-time hire, launched multiple new products, and went from publishing sporadically to publishing daily. We also embarked on a significant project to ensure our coverage of Edmonton’s 2021 municipal election reflected the needs and curiosity of the community.
It hasn’t been easy, of course. There’s been no lack of challenges to seek input on over the past year. What to do about potential competitive threats, how to stay focused and accountable on sales, how to set and evolve company culture as our team grows, and how to develop and articulate a vision for our company that is exciting for us and others, to name just a few. On our best days we look at those challenges as opportunities.
The pandemic has been a time of uncertainty, frustration, sadness, anger, and so many other big feelings. But for Taproot, it has also marked the transition from being a fledgling media startup to being a fledgling media startup that has created jobs in journalism. Even on days when it feels like everything is falling apart, that feels good and keeps us going. Figuring out a sustainable future for local media is a wicked problem which means there is no “done”, and every attempt counts. So, we must keep going.
Throughout this transition and with each milestone and setback, we’ve benefited from the coaching and advice of our mentorship team. They share experiences and perspectives that we don’t have. They ask thoughtful questions and remind us to take a step back and consider the big picture. Sometimes you just want your Mentors to tell you what to do, or perhaps to share something that results in an epiphany, but we already have the information we need to decide what to do. Our Mentors shine the light right where we need it.
Taproot’s mission is to help communities understand themselves better. It’s fitting that one of the biggest benefits our Mentors provide is to help us understand ourselves better.
