Talk of a recession creates a funny period of time if you look at it energetically; firstly there is the complete fear that drives the whole momentum of this phase – without fear recessions would never happen.
Then there is the energy of withhold – everybody hangs onto everything they have in fear of there not being enough to go around anymore – scarcity kicks in and abundance is thrown out the window. With everybody hanging onto their cash there is no money (or energy) moving around the system; this in itself stops everything.
On the positive side businesses are forced to re-evaluate; re-align their resources and re-jig their product lines; this creates a streamlining of things – creating efficiency of product and production.
Many businesses change one or two things through this phase and this tweak makes an amazing change to the productivity of their businesses. We could look back in years to come and say “thankfully we did that”; it could be introducing another product line or improving the way we communicate to our referral sources. It could be a combination of these and other new ideas that creates the shift for us.
Those that adapt will survive, prosper and grow. Those that don’t won’t.
Some business people get caught up with the doom and gloom while others always see opportunity. Even in the Great Depression of the 1930s there was still 80 per cent employment.
Many businesses over time have learnt how to adapt their business model and products during these difficult times.
A colleague of mine mentioned the other day that there are four food outlets in his home town, two have gone bankrupt and closed their doors and the other two have people lined up down the street buying their product. At these times good businesses thrive not survive, they have good products, good systems and good people and they continue to make profits and thrive.
The Opportunity
Where is the opportunity when the economy is at rock bottom?
The cultural and commercial issues businesses face when the economy is in a trough are both negative – culturally, fear dominates and commercially, scarcity replaces the abundance we’ve all experienced over the last few years.
During this time we need to see both the positives and the negatives to create some calmness and balance, and move away from the fear. What should your business be investing in right now? Answer – anything that creates a foundation for growth in the next phase. Perhaps as a business you don’t have extra cash to invest – but what about spending the time to take a strategic look at your business, so that when the upturn arrives you’ll be better placed to take advantage of it and move ahead the competition?
Four Season For A Reason
This is a period of cleansing. It’s a time to get rid of all the crap in our businesses – the unproductive processes, businesses and people. It’s a bit like a detox. This time will provide a fresh foundation for new growth. During this phase we will all be able to look ahead for the thing that will drive growth in the next phase.
There are four seasons for a reason; winter brings about ‘death’ from one perspective and it brings about ‘new life’ from another perspective. Either way winter is needed as it clears the decks for the new phase of growth.
Stay well and stay focused; and don’t agree with the fear – ask yourself through this phase “what bulbs do I want to plant today to look at when spring comes?”
| A Platform for succes |
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1. Positioning
Customers buy differently in innovate your product. 2. Disribution Channels Invest time in creating relationships with up other channels of patients currently 3.Stay focused on the macro In a downtime businesses get very micro • What percentage of your resources are invested in the following areas of your Add up how many staff you have doing Look for imbalances and make a plan to 4.Invest in your staff It is easy to overlook staff when business staff are unlikely to change jobs in an |
