A global pandemic was not on anyone’s radar as globally we welcomed in a new decade. 2020 was going to be an amazing year. And yet, here we are…
Most countries are on ‘lock-down’, small business is looking to central governments for help. Tourism is decimated as social/physical distancing kicks in. For many in different countries, there is the death of loved ones caught by an invisible plague, passed onto them by an invisible human.
Doom and gloom and yet… here we are globally looking to save lives as on the front-line doctors, nurses, health professionals strive to contain and to lower the impact of the silent assassin. And there is also a new front line… essential services such as supermarkets, petrol stations, public transport for essential service personnel and more. Each of us are responsible for helping to turn-the-tide towards recovery.
And yet… we all know that the tide will turn, the markets will bounce, cruise ships will recover, job losses will become an employment landslide as affected enterprise and government look towards the rocky road of recovery.
So here is the question, if we know the market will bounce, will we be ready?
For many small businesses it will be adapt to survive. With social distancing, we are already seeing an increase in live streaming as much as we are seeing an increased on-line connection as social media and live streaming platforms become a way of bringing hope and humour to a chaotic world.
There is no easy answer but I remember my favourite quote. Two thousand years ago, the famous Roman philosopher, Seneca the Younger (c. 4 BC – AD 65), said:
“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity”.
In the 80’s I remember listening to Brian Tracy. In his motivational talks he would say:
“Prepare yourself for one day your chance will come.”
This paraphrases a quote from Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 - April 15, 1865), the 16th president of the United States said:
“I will prepare and someday my chance will come.”
The point, as Seneca, Lincoln and Tracey so eloquently imply, is that there is no such thing as luck. Rather it is all about the preparation and being ready for the opportunity.
So, the question is for us individually is, are we ready and/or importantly… are we getting prepared?
They say that each us have a book within us… I wonder if something similar is true for business. Is there a business idea in each of us? Maybe! We don’t know what we don’t know but I know that for millennia small business has been driven by an individual with a dream. They locked in their passion and often, burned their bridges, ignored the doubters and nay-sayers, took every risk and made something happen. We also know that small business is the foundation, the fabric of every society.
In times of uncertainty… well we have that in spades… but what next?
If there is no better time to plan than in times of uncertainty, then, just maybe it is time to create a different future. Just maybe it is time to make a plan which may well be a business. Whatever it is, it will need some preparation for the opportunity that is yet to materialise. We have to be ready.
The 90-Day Business Challenge is coming… 🤩🙌