Just after the collapse of Lehman Brothers I was talking with a friend about the state of the country’s economic affairs when he said, “well, at least we will be able to say we lived through this”. Those words resonated with me because it occurred to me that each generation needs its seminal moment. Whether we truly knew or not at the time, this “Great Recession” was my generations defining moment.
In the 18 + months since that conversation I continue to be amazed by the impact of this recession and its seemingly never ending ability to upend institutions and beliefs that seemed to be self evident. As I type this, officers from Goldman Sachs are in front of Congress attempting to provide a logical and technically accurate defense for their self-serving actions. I never would have imagined a firm as respected and as admired as Goldman being in this position.
Of course, the impact of this recession isn’t limited to the stories of Wall St. excess and greed. The real story is the impact on those of us who comprise the vast majority of this country’s commerce – the small and mid-size businesses that generate jobs and tax dollars that seem to support everyone else. During this time we’ve seen countless numbers of these businesses disappear and many others hanging by a thread, fighting on and hoping for a recovery and a return to some type of normalcy.
We sense from our client base that after 18 months, the frustration and apparent lack of a definitive recovery has become disheartening. There is a deepening concern that “normal” may never return to what we remember it being. The reality is that the version of normal we recall will never return. Significant changes in business models were occurring before the beginning of the recession and rather than slow it down, it has only served to accelerate the pace of change.
It is our opinion (and we reserve the right to hindsight) that in the future small businesses will not be able to achieve past heights solely from the benefit of a rising tide. In the current and future economic reality, the tide will act more like a whirlpool, dragging down companies that are unwilling or unable to adapt to ever changing market conditions. Rather than make it easier to scale a new business, we may find that rapid technology and business innovation hinders growth because new companies may not have the runway to gradually grow.
I know that the last thing anyone wants to hear is predictions of more doom/gloom and continued difficulties in being in business. Prognosticating the end of the world and doing nothing about it is not something we want to be part of. Our team is comprised of a group of motivated and dedicated individuals who believe in action, in creating our own destiny. Rather than accept what we see, we prefer to challenge the Gods of Commerce, Finance & Technology. However, we know that not everyone can rise up to the challenge without some guidance and leadership.
Because of this, we decided to create “Rise Up”, which is our effort to communicate the most basic of entrepreneurial messages – that it’s on you to make the first step to get energized. Of course, we also know that rising up is only part of the equation; people need help and we are here to provide that assistance. Accordingly, we are pleased to announce our new offering – “Help Me Mr. Wizard”.
Whether you enjoy “Rise Up” or not and whether you decide to get some help from Mr. Wizard, we wish you the best of luck with your business endeavors.
