b'BE TRUE TO MYSELFI know myself well and stay true to that by always being honest, positive and having a calm yet firm approach with my clients. Buying or selling a home is a very emotional process, especially for my clients who are downsizing and closing a chapter of their lives. When we hit bumps in the road, rather than feeding into the tension, I lead with solutions, often saying, "just let me deal with it." It helps minimize the stress and keeps the situation positive, something my clients have told me they value. JOANNE WATKINSKELLER WILLIAMS MID-TOWN DIRECT REALTY181 Maplewood Avenue, Maplewood 973-986-2606|joannewatkinshomes@gmail.comBEND LIKE BAMBOO DETERMINATION Our business helps create compost communities across New Jersey. As a unique business idea, we didn\'t have a model to follow so we created our own, teaching backyard composting to residents and setting up and tending to their tumblers. We became known as the "composting people." Last year, we added a service to pick up food scraps and this has allowed our business to flourish. It was our drive to bring composting to our community that kept us going.MICHELLE BRADLEYJAVA\'S COMPOSTWest Orange As a Chinese Medicine Practitioner, I\'ve learned how to 862-205-5737 |javascompost.comcontinually transform, grow, and pivot with the oncoming challenges. Quarantine forced us to rethink and revise anything that didn\'t fully contributefrom advertising and staffing, to financial strategies and clinical procedures. We tread new waters when we introduced medical protective gear, COVID prevention policies, virtual sessions, and a staggered clinic flow. Being able to pivot was our saving grace - instead of getting stuck, we found renewal!CRISTINA R. DE LA MARSEVEN POINT WELLNESS 187 Millburn Avenue, Suite 101, Millburn 917-210-1063|sevenpointwellness.com30/ matters magazine / fall 2020'