The entrepreneurial way to succeed in crisis

2008-09-29 by Terry Brock 

How can you succeed in the midst of calamity all around? Today's news seems to be a daily stream of "Oh my goodness--- did that happen too?" 

It can be discouraging for entrepreneurs - and aren't we all today? Just ask the people who were formally employed by large mega-companies who thought they would be secure with a company that had been around seemingly forever. Now they are out on the street, looking for work and employing every entrepreneurial skill they can muster. 

You and I watch the news and think about how it is going to affect our individual businesses. We wonder if that deal or this opportunity will come through. Seems that everyone is saying "No" with an added exclamation mark to considering new business. It can be discouraging at first. 

However, all is not lost. No, the end of the world is not nigh. Yes, times are challenging (again) as they are from time to time throughout history. This is normal. Chaos is normal throughout history. 

Our ancestors faced struggles far beyond what we're seeing today. They would have welcomed the challenges we're facing far more than the life and death (literally) issues they faced. 

So what can you and I do as business owners and salespeople to succeed in this crisis - or any crisis in the future? This week I want to share some ideas which have helped others and which can help you. Also, I want to share about a new device that can help in learning and relaxation, which are both important today. 

1. Realize This Is Normal. Crises come and go throughout history. It is the way of human nature. This knowledge helps us to gain that all-important mind-set that we can handle it just like others have before us. 

2. Take Stock Of Your Inventory. Take stock of more than your physical inventory. Look at the skills you have personally. Often I speak for groups who are facing enormous challenges and changes in the way of doing business. Some of those changes mean that what they did before will never come back. Now is the time to do an inventory of your real skills. What serious business-valuable skills do you have which can be enhanced and remolded to face challenges others are enduring? Adapt. Change. Know that you are more than what you've done in the past. 

3. Follow The Pain. This admonition is something Michael LeBouf has advocated for years. Find the pain others are experiencing and help to solve that. As you solve their pain, they will be willing to pay you - and yes, even in serious hard times. It might not be as much as before, but an astute entrepreneur will be able to make it happen. 

4. Enhance Your Value Skills. This is a wonderful time to add to your mental storehouse new skills which are highly valuable to others. Study what they need and are willing and able to pay for. Be creative. Then provide that to them at a reasonable cost. School is never out for the professional. In today's environment, "school" - that ability to constantly learn and add practical knowledge - is more important than ever. 

5. Stay Positive. This is a lot more than a fake, Pollyanna-type pumping up of emotion. It is the hard-driven, determined attitude to find the good in any situation and enhance that. Talk about possibilities, not problems. Yes, we have "challenges" (a better word) and yes we can handle them. We'll become even better handling these because of what we learn going through this. 

Yes, times are tough. That is good as it helps us develop and become more of the best we can be. Don't squander this golden opportunity. Now is the time to serve others and by doing that we help ourselves. 

And while doing that, here is a tool that can help leverage your ability. 

Recently I had the chance to experience the orbitsound T3 portable battery powered stereo speaker. What an amazing device! 

The T3 weighs 115 grams, so light you'll barely notice you have it. It is about the size of a small iPod. The sound quality it projects is spine-tingling with clarity. As a personal stereo you can wear it around your neck and listen to your iPod or other audio device. I plugged my iPod in and listened to spoken word audio, gorgeous, room-filling Mozart and some serious rock n' roll. The quality of sound rivaled what I've experienced with wall-mounted stereos costing a lot more. 

In business this is a great tool for projecting a great sound in a small conference room meeting. Take that sales presentation to prospects and demonstrate your new products and services. Then after closing the sale, enjoy just the right music as you celebrate! 

If you're mobile and enjoy audio, this is a tool to examine. It is the next generation in portable quality sound for the serious businessperson who wants to succeed --- and enjoy some great tunes! 

(Orbitsound T3, $149.99, www.orbitsound.co.uk ) 




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