by Case Lane

When the New Year’s celebrations lit up the world on January 1, 2020, most people were bracing for an exciting year.  The Olympics, elections, a growing economy, lots of travel, weddings, graduations – all round celebrations and good times…just like normal.

As an aspiring entrepreneur you may have been planning your big breakthrough – the changes that would take you to the next level. 

You could have guessed a financial or operational issue might have thrown you off for a day or two, but you had no reason to believe you would end up living in a completely different world.

For the first few months of 2020, as a global pandemic spread around the world, and governments made the unprecedented decision to shutdown all movement – you found yourself stuck, literally – with the greatest question of your life so far – what are you going to do next?

Lessons from 1890

Unless you are over 102 years old and remember the last global plague, you are living in a world you never knew could exist.  Unlike during a war when commerce and socializing continues, this disruption has forced fundamental changes in how we live, and how we view the world.

Suddenly when all the sports activities were canceled, you could feel sorry for the athletes losing their income, but also recognize the insignificance of the game in the face of thousands dying.

When the schools were closed, you could be challenged by the idea of trying to help your kids at home, but not really aware of those who would not have your resources. 

As conferences were postponed, hotels shuttered, and restaurants operating only through the delivery window, you could develop an entirely new perspective on the idea of an economy. The people you debated tipping became your lifeline.

Those with professional positions mostly went to their now at-home offices to wait out the shutdown with their families, worried only about getting enough toilet paper to last for a few weeks.  But those in non-essential, non-professional positions stared at bills to pay, and promises that could not be kept, and wondered what they could do.

For the first time, the people who always work, always find a job somewhere, had nowhere to go to stay independent, self-sufficient and free.

And those deemed essential – from doctors and nurses, police and fire, to delivery drivers, mail sorters, grocery store cashiers and customer service operators – found themselves with extended hours, no breaks, no vacations, and the daily threat to their lives.

The air is cleaner, you can clearly hear birds chirping, you can ride your bicycle down Las Vegas Boulevard or the Champ d’Elysee.  And yet behind closed doors, an unimaginable level of suffering has been unleashed on a population that may never recover.

The Entrepreneur’s Dilemma

So where does that leave you, the aspiring entrepreneur? 

If your bold pronouncements of going your own way and starting your own business fell on skeptical ears before the pandemic, how are you sounding now?  Are you afraid to face the scorn of those who told you to stop being selfish, and get a real job – if you can find one?

Are you considering making yourself essential by offering to work at a warehouse, fast food restaurant or security desk – just to participate in the greatest economic upheaval of our time?  Are you afraid to mention an interest in making money, adding a new product or service to the marketplace or delivering value?

If you’re saying yes, yes, yes…ask yourself once again why you want to be an entrepreneur. 

Your Dream is Alive

Your life dream to be one of the risk takers who fills a gap in the economy by working day and night to deliver value for those who want or need your product or service has not ended because of the shutdown.

Your dream cannot end.  In fact, it’s the opposite.  People need the ambition, drive, vision, innovation and penchant for risk that entrepreneurs deliver more than they ever have before.  Can you just not feel the ringing desire for someone – anyone – to come up with better solutions to our current problems?

Who but the entrepreneur can even think about what needs to be done.  The failure of government in many countries has never been more acute.  And the indomitable spirit of ingenious individuals has never been more pronounced.

It is not too outrageous to claim that the global visionary thinking of entrepreneurs may just get us out of this mess.  From the labs that are racing to a cure, to the retooling of factories for essential goods, to the rapid adaptation of businesses from offices to home-based, entrepreneurs the world over are looking for new and innovative ways to make this world, as it exists right now, work.

Your dream to be among the entrepreneurs actually has to be stronger than ever before, and your determination to be a person who takes risks and delivers value must be galvanized at this moment. 

Your Next Act

What you need to be doing is not lamenting loss, but thinking about opportunity.  And not exploitive opportunity, but real value ,and real possibilities that move the world forward. 

If you are that person who has always had business ideas in your head, and you wanted others to respect your vision and plans, then show now that your desire to be an entrepreneur is not just a passing fancy where you plan on earning a million bucks, living in a mansion and driving a Rolls-Royce.

Use this time – this tough economic, social and personal time – to show that your commitment to entrepreneurship is about who you are as a person.

A person who delivers value.

A person of ideas.

A contributor.

And someone who is ready to adapt and to lead.

Use this time to improve on every level, read more, research your ideas, learn new skills, enhance your business knowledge, and be part of the solution.

This is not the time for you – the forward thinking participant in the economy – to bail out in despair.  You can set the example for others by doubling down on the situation you see around you to come out stronger on the other side.

How do you keep your entrepreneurial dreams when the world changes around you? 

You take action.  You keep moving through your plan to create your own business.  And you make it happen.

The nature of being an entrepreneur and thinking as an entrepreneur means you hang on and move forward through turbulent times.

Your vision, your ideas, your perseverance are all needed more than ever. 

Find a way to contribute.

Bring your value forward.

And make your impact.