Navigating Change and Franchising (Pandemic Edition)

Is everything going to be okay? 

by author Seth Godin in his blog from Thursday, March 26, 2020:

That depends.

If we mean, “Is everything going to be the way it was and the way I expected it to be?” then the answer is no. The answer to that question is always no, it always has been.

If we mean, “Is everything going to be the way it is going to be?” then the answer is yes. Of course. If we define whatever happens as okay, then everything will be.

Given that everything is going to be the way it’s going to be, we’re left with an actually useful and productive question instead: “What are you going to do about it?”

I think this coronavirus situation is perfectly summed up by author Seth Godin. These are tough and uncharted times for all of us. But good things will also come out of this. I know this because I lived and worked through uncertain times such as 9/11/2001, the Great Recession, and Super Storm Sandy in 2012, plus a few other blackouts, stock market resets, and hurricanes along the way.

Through all of these tragedies, catastrophes, and inconveniences, we all learned and moved ahead positively. The worst thing you can do is be a sitting duck and do nothing.

 What I learned during the Great Recession is that some folks tried to live on Hopium.

Hopium is a dangerous, addictive drug that makes users put their heads in the sand and ‘hope’ everything is going to be okay instead of being proactive.

During the economic reset ten years ago, I would talk with people about franchise ownership, and they would say, "Thank you for the insight, but I'm going to stick with my career and get a new job." A few months or even a year later, I'd get an email from the same person explaining that they still had not landed a job and would I be open to picking up our franchise conversations. They wasted time. It's that damn Hopium!

I am not advising you to quit your job and buy a franchise. However, don't start smoking Hopium either.

If you or anyone you know would like to learn more about franchising, and what types of businesses are recession, Amazon and Pandemic resistant, watch this 30-minute webinar that I conducted this past week:

The timing could not be better. It takes four to six weeks to perform in-depth due diligence on a franchise. You or someone you know could be poised to hit the ground running when this virus lifts.

Please don't forget to wash your hands, and please, say no to Hopium.