Could These Current Economic Conditions Be A Blessing In Disguise For The Online Entrepreneur?
The last four months have been scary for everyone in America from the high school student looking to choose a career to the retired person whose nest egg has suddenly disappeared. Many young and middle aged families were unable to make their house payment due to an adjustable rate mortgage that continued to rise and they are now facing foreclosure. There is widespread loss of jobs and it would be safe to say that this is the worst period of time in our economic history since the great depression of the 1930′s.
Today I was thinking about the state of the economy and how it all affects me and my business I decided to try to change my perspective. Was there any way to look on the bright side of this situation? Could I find some good to come in this terrible mess? Before looking for the good I first had to acknowledge that this situation was brought on by greed and selfishness but not just the greed of the Wall Street investors. We all must accept some responsibility for this problem. Who among us did not want to believe what they promised?
Deep in our hearts we knew it was unreasonable to assume that property values and salaries would continue to rise without market corrections. We knew not to borrow money based on the salary we hoped to have in 5 years but we did it anyway. We knew we should not have everything we wanted but we bought it anyway using our charge cards instead of cash. Our grandparents taught us to save for the baubles and trinkets we desired but we did not listen. Yes, if we are honest, we all have a hand in this problem.
But after accepting your responsibility, are you an entrepreneur wondering if you will survive this crisis or weather you will you end up like so many others in America with no job, no hope and nowhere to turn. Could there be a silver lining to this very dark cloud for those willing to step up to the plate?
You may accuse me of being a Pollyanna but I checked online and statistics show that there are actually more millionaires made in a recession than in times of widespread prosperity. How can we leverage that knowledge to become part of that successful group of people?
First during difficult times resourceful people usually prosper because they concentrate more on the issues at hand. During tough times they take nothing for granted and tend to focus more than normal. Focus is one of the main criteria for any successful endeavor so it is no wonder that the tough minded focused people tend to be more successful when the going gets tough.
Secondly many more people than usual are joining the ranks of the self employed out of necessity. They were laid off from their jobs and in these terrible economic conditions and they have been unable to find a new job. Many of these people have turned to the Internet to try to make the money they need to take care of themselves and their family. They need our help.
If you have a serviced based Internet business such as a consultant, speaker, virtual assistant or coach you may have found that your business has actually increased over the last few months. There are actually more people looking for help and answers to their questions.
This final reason is the most exciting to me. Maybe you have always dreamed of become an entrepreneur but fear has kept you tied to your dead-end job. You were afraid to take the risk before but now you have no choice. It’s difficult to walk away from the security of insurance benefits and sick leave and retirement.
Now all of a sudden that comfortable but boring job is gone and you are faced with the choice to sink or swim. Do you choose to pick yourself up and launch that business idea that has been simmering on the back burner for so many years? Now would be a good time.
I am not trying to make light of the fact that we are in perilous times both here in America but also globally. This mess has been brewing for many years. There will be no quick fix but I still believe in the entrepreneurial spirit of this country and I think we will work our way out of this mess the same way we have done it in the past with dedication and hard work. I also think that when we look back we will see that the online entrepreneur will have been responsible for a large part of that recovery. It almost exciting isn’t it!
