Credit: Ayo Ogunseinde on Unsplash
We live in challenging times, and entrepreneurs face a serious challenge with so many businesses shut down now. Everyone is asking the same questions:
Is this really happening?
Will we get through this?
Will my business survive?
What does the aftermath look like?
What should I do next?
Yet, incredibly, entrepreneurs are finding ways to create, adapt, pivot and still succeed despite the economic crisis.
"I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts."
-Abraham Lincoln
How We Overcame Rock Biters
Why are entrepreneurs able to bounce back while many are still staring at their hands, like the Rock Biter in Never Ending Story?
I realized it's due to the fact that we are used to thinking outside the box. Making it up as we go is part of the business plan. Firing off from the hip battling market trends, product design, venture capitalism, securing funding and a working prototype, having to throw it all in the garbage and rewrite the script at a moments notice - these are well honed survival skills of the mind and intuition.
My mother gave me a coffee mug for Christmas last year, realizing her son is a legitimate business owner now. It says, "Entrepreneurs jump off a cliff and build a plane on the way down."
Anticipating the unexpected is part of the job description - and it's really amazing how resourceful entrepreneurs are when the rubber hits the road.
Ever stall on completing a project and only start to make progress in the last quarter right before you run out of time? I call it Last Minute Syndrome. When sh$& is about to hit the fan, we pull out all the stops and create some genius on the spot like a damn vending machine.
Last Minute Syndrome
Only now, it's perpetual Last Minute Syndrome. The economy's tanked, trillions have been lost on Wall Street, last month over 500,000 jobs were lost in just Texas alone. The impetus to act, to save the day, and save our businesses is always right now, right now. The last minute is 24/7 as we all try to put damage control on warp speed 8.
Just because adversity happens, it doesn't mean we put our dreams on hold or stop striving to create a better life.
While the vast majority are paralyzed by fear, entrepreneurs understand the value in taking risks and have already thought of all the worst case scenarios with plan A, B, C to Omega.
Being aware of the risks, doesn't mean you're pessimistic. It means you are like smart texting, predicting the next move. Seeing where obstacles might be like an experienced skier almost sensing the path ahead on a black diamond.
The Time is Now
We solve problems. We identify solutions. We calculate risks. And above all, don't let ourselves become shaken by the doubts of others, our own insecurities, or past failures.
Right now is crazy af - there is no nice way to say it.
But we will get through this. You've done it before when faced with a challenge, and you'll do it again. The time is now to hitch up your pants, draw on the strengths that got you to this day today. There's a chance you may come out of this even better than before.
"Close scrutiny will show that most 'crisis situations' are opportunities to either advance, or stay where you are."
-Maxwell Maltz
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