If you’re of a certain age and reading this correspondence, you’ve faced a hardship or two—and that may include a recession.
I left my agency job to start what would become Red Mallard in February of 2008. “What a year to start! *LOL*” is what I often hear from folks. I still don’t entirely know what they mean. Who’s in the position to say how my life would be different if I started in 2006 or 2012 instead?
Yes, it’s on record as a bad recession, maybe the worst. But, of course, I didn’t know that at the time. Back then, the formula seemed simple: sell a brochure or website and find a contractor to do the work. Then, figure out if I made any money, eat a snack, and get back to the grind.
But, perhaps there’s something to be said about starting in the thick of great hardship that you aren’t aware of, rather than freezing up and worrying about what might occur.
There are myriad possibilities—every day—in and out of recessions.
Retreat? Halt? Advance?
All have equal risks and rewards. But:
- If you retreat, you will lose ground.
- If you halt, you will lose what you could have gained.
- If you advance, you might lose in the attempt. Or, you’ll gain new ground.
Two certainties and one uncertain. What is Red Mallard doing? We’re following the path EOS has helped us to carve out, which looks like:
- Refining our focus on specific industries
- Going after regular referrals and using new tools to build laser-focused lead lists
- Soliciting feedback to improve processes
- Hiring more talent; and
- Investing in our own content creation
All of those have inherent risks. But, all of them have excellent rewards. Most importantly, they have ascribed rocks to help us achieve them.
Looking back, 2008 was a great year to start because I didn’t know what I didn’t know. I only knew I couldn’t sit on the couch every day waiting for Netflix DVDs—and God knows I tried.
So, will you choose certainty (retreat or halt) or uncertainty (advance!)? Which one says what to your team, clients, and yourself?
Reply with which you’re choosing.
Onward!
John
