Sing along
The title of this piece was a popular song originally recorded by Billy Ocean in 1985 at Battery Studios North London. The song was written by Wayne Braithwaite, Barry Eastmond, Robert John “Mutt” Lange and Billy Ocean and is aptly named for our times.
A tough times survival course
We’re living in tough times. Period. Words and phrases like “credit crunch” and “recession” are on everyone’s tongues and we all understand that our world has changed. Some of us like Bernie Madoff, Allen Stanford and others who are being revealed on a daily basis, have even contributed to the change.
On the other hand
But every time is good for someone or something. Some of the greatest business ideas were born right in the middle of the most challenging economic conditions. Branding, an integral part of all marketing, was actually born in the heart of the Great Depression. General Electric was launched amid the panic of 1873. Disney was launched during the recession right before the Roaring 1920s.
Good can be born of tough times
Many giant companies started out during the Great Depression: Air France, Nissan Motors and Hewlett-Packard. Even the personal computer was born in the slowdown of the mid-’70s. That’s when Microsoft was born. Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak were prepping the Apple in 1975, in the recession, even if they didn’t officially launch until 1976.
Dale Carnegie, said: “Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.”
The survival rules
Survivors of tough times need to abide by the following principles:
- Innovate: this is a great time to bring put new ideas to the table. Many of the old and tried models won’t work in these times, so try something new; your managers are forced to at least listen to your idea.
- Be efficient: consider waste to be your biggest enemy. Wasted time, energy and resources in a booming economy can be camouflaged by profit. At this moment in time we are looking at the results of the sins of excess and waste.
- Network: one of the keys to success in these tough times is your ability to network.
- Keep watch: There are opportunities out there and some of them may even have your name on them, but you have to dig in and meet the right people to gain access.
The tough get going
The recession is flourishing in Britain and people are desperate for jobs. A zoo in Twycross was overwhelmed by job hunters recently. On recruitment day last Saturday, applicants caused a traffic jam when they all arrived for interviews at the same time. The jobs are temporary, at minimum wages, and some even involve cleaning up after the animals.
But the recession is rampant and non-selective so when the help-wanted ads appeared, about 3,000 people applied, including laid-off executives and company bosses. “These are roles usually taken by students,” said the zoo manager. “You don’t expect to see heads of households or company directors, coming to apply; but we saw all kinds of people here yesterday.”
There are ways to survive. Be tough!
And if you get in a bind, remember payday loans are an option to consider.
Necessity indeed can be the mother of invention. The generation that faced WW2 were able to face down some of the greatest threats of their age, and they persevered, and succeeded, and the post WW2 era was home to the strongest middle class in American history. There’s something to be said for that.