If You’re Not Going Forward…You Are Sinking!
Do you ever feel like you’re in idle and can’t seem to get your business moving forward? In this economy, it’s happening to all of us. Yes…you are not alone!
An investor in one of the companies we founded once asked about our revenue projections. When I told him that they were a bit flat, he commented “if you’re not going forward, you are sinking!” The thought scared the hell out of me. There were over 100 people and their families depending on us to meet revenue projections. We were just entering another economic crisis, or at least it was for software companies. It was the beginning of the ‘dotcom’ bust. We were all flying so high that it never occurred to us that revenue would come to a screeching halt when the public market enthusiasm for tech stocks began drying up. We were trying to file our IPO (initial public offering) before the window closed and there was intense pressure on hitting revenue projections to achieve the desired valuation. It was a time when investors, board members and our executive team were not sleeping nights. Contracts that we considered ‘sure bets’ were suddenly delayed or canceled. Everyone from our customers to our vendors was in the same pickle. There was no cash flowing.
While we finally recovered from those days, it got me thinking about the economy today and how many of us who own small businesses are trying to figure out how to keep the ball moving forward. No matter how talented you are as a photographer, the current economy has created some obstacles that are affecting your bottom line.
I guess the good news is that you’re not alone. We are all experiencing the same thing. Knowing that you’re not alone is of little comfort when you’re trying to balance the checkbook. I guess that is equivalent to saying that everyone on the Titanic should have felt better just knowing that they were not alone.
