Barring getting a vaccine sooner than expected, it seems like we’re in for a longer haul than expected with this once-in-a-century pandemic. Businesses, schools and sports are probably going to be a shell of themselves until the end of the year. There is no denying the fact that we have managed this situation poorly. Americans have had it so good for so long, it possible we thought we were invincible – that we were too good for a pandemic to beat us. Hopefully, we know better by now, and for those of us who are lucky enough to make it to the other side, we need to start thinking about what is next.
Economically, the remnants of the Corona Virus recession will be with us for a lot longer than we expected. A few million businesses will go under permanently, people will travel less, more of us will work from home, and therefore, in my view, every surviving company in the world should start writing a new business plan. You can be certain that things will never be the same again. We already know that companies like Amazon, Netflix, Apple and Microsoft will emerge stronger than before the pandemic, but who else? It’s time for everyone to do more deep thinking about how your business will be affected and how you need to change. Because trust me, everyone needs to brace themselves for some serious changes. The first thing you should do is talk to your kids more about technology, the services they use, the way they communicate and how they get things done. Then we all need to go back to school and start learning again. If there was ever a time to invest in yourselves, this is the time. And please…wear a mask.
Almost everyone, including Democrats, were expecting last Tuesday’s midterm election results to heavily favor Republicans. Many predicted a “red wave” where they would pick up 50-60 seats in the House and 3-4 in the Senate. Joe Rogan said the red wave that is coming will be like the elevator doors opening in the horror film The Shining.
When we invited Gary Vaynerchuk to NAHREP at L’ATTITUDE in 2021, I was mostly relying on input from others. Several members loved his content, but the little I saw online left me underwhelmed. However, I thoroughly enjoyed his presentation at our event, particularly his comments about toxic employees, which he says to dump with impunity.
Selling during a downturn required a more strategic approach, but the opportunities for growth and expansion are available to the savviest of companies. Here are some of the best ideas I’ve read about.
A farmer and his son had a beloved stallion who helped the family earn a living. One day, the horse ran away and their neighbors said “Your horse ran away, what terrible luck!”. The farmer replied, “Maybe so, maybe not. We’ll see.” A few days later the horse returned home, leading a few wild mares back to the farm as well. The neighbors shouted out “Your horse has returned and brought several horses home with him. What great luck!” and the farmer replied, “Maybe so, maybe not. We’ll see.”