Remember the story about Humpty Dumpty. You remember, the gigantic Egg Man who sat on a wall and then, without warning, fell out. He fell so hard that all of the kings horses, and all of the kings men just couldn’t put Humpty together again. What a mess he made too, a gigantic egg crashing to the ground, but Humpty Dumpty was sick of sitting on that wall, and he probably enjoyed every second of that free fall to the end.
There’s a lot we can learn from Mr. Dumpty when we think about how too many people start out owning their own business. Some would-be entrepreneurs just sit there on the wall, too afraid to fall. So they miss out on golden opportunities. Other people take that leap of faith that everything will be alright and end up like poor Humpty, a gooey, sticky mess. But what if we changed the story a little bit. What if Humpty had put some thought and planning into his venture? What if he had made arrangements to have a safety net installed beneath him? Or, what if he had sought out advice of experts who guided him on the safest way off that wall and he ended up, not as a scrambled egg, but a happy and healthy entrepreneur.
History has proven that from recessions grow great businesses, and now is, in fact, a good time to take a leap into building your own business. Business started in challenging times tend to be more solid because they start with a stronger foundation. Entrepreneurs looking to start out in an economic downturn usually develop really good business plans. They are are forced to look at both the type of business they want to start or maintain, as well as their formulations on how to get there a little bit harder. Instead of getting into debt while starting a small business, entrepreneurs in this type of economy keep a tight rein on their budget. They actively seek out new forms of marketing, advertising and branding (like social media marketing) that cost only fractions of what traditional marketing and advertising costs. Also, because of lay-offs in larger corporate America, now is a great time to scoop up exceptional talent who may have been let go. The stronger the core of your business is, the stronger and more credible you become.
Also, because so many are looking for work, “co-workers” become “work families”. Everyone is in the journey together and genuinely wants to see the business succeed. If the business fails, then they’re out of a job too, and back at square one. There may be more opportunity to start up and dominate a niche market before things pick up and competition gets steep. Of course, you don’t want an outcome like Egg Man’s but, he jumped without planning. He should have thought things through, talked to a professional, bought a bungee cord and strong harness and then jumped. That, my friends, will be the difference between you and good ole’ Humpty.
So, now that you’re thinking that I make pretty good sense and that I’m not completely crazy for suggesting you start a small business now, and you’re also thinking that social media marketing sounds like a pretty darn good idea, let me tell you how we can help.
If you’re in the Columbus, Ohio area (and even if you’re not), we are hosting our First Annual “How to WOW! Now” Spring Seminar on April 29th from 6-9pm at the Courtyard Marriott Downtown Columbus. We’ve got a whole host of goodies in store, such as speed networking to meet other fellow entrepreneurs, open panel discussions with experts to answer your questions, and great advice from keynote speakers and local celebrities Gabe Spiegel, Ryan Bauer, Shelley Moore, Bruce Heinemann, and Andrew Catapano. Each speaker will be focusing on different areas to master when starting or energizing a business, offering both advice on how to get started and how to stay relevant! By the end of the seminar, you will walk away with a strong knowledge of how to incorporate the WOW! factor in every aspect of your business.
You can find more information at www.howtoWOWnow.eventbrite.com and register yourself or your whole team! I know that right now, if Humpty Dumpty wasn’t the world’s largest omelete, he’d be there. Front and center, talking about what a rush it was to open his eyes and jump.