[social_warfare]
SHOW NOTES
A “true” entrepreneur doesn’t let anything get in the way of making things work – even a financial crisis.
Now, that doesn’t mean your business will get to the other side of this unscathed (or even unchanged).
It means you will commit to problem-solving through crisis.
This is important for two reasons.
First, if you want to build a company that’s around for decades to come, you have to show up every day like that will happen!
No matter what comes your way, you have to problem-solve until it works.
And second, if you want to create a successful future for your business, you have to take responsibility for it (i.e. you can’t choose to “wait it out” or turn your success over to someone else’s problem solving).
(PLEASE NOTE: If this message feels triggering for you, consider… it might actually be exactly what you need to hear right now!)
In this episode, I’ll explain the two common reactions to crisis (+why I think the problem-solvers will come out on top!), PLUS…
- Why “I’ll wait it out” is NOT a solution
- How I’m building a company that will be around 5+ years from now
- And why I think entrepreneurs will pull our economy back on track
Listen in – and if this message hits home for you, please share on your favorite social media platform!
If you want behind-the-scenes data about what’s working (+not working!) with Facebook + Instagram ads… head to HirshMarketingreport.com to download a FREE monthly report from Team Hirsh!
Key Points:
[4:01] I believe you will make it through this (one way or another!)
[5:15] There are 2 different reactions to crisis..
[8:05] I want to be a company that’s around for decades! Here’s how I’m making that happen
[11:28] So you have 2 choices right now: “wait it out” or step up
[13:49] Here’s the good news… you ALWAYS have this choice!
[15:29] You have to be willing to play the long-game (otherwise, your business might not make it)
[19:48] Here’s what you need to do right now…
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Emily Hirsh:
Hello, everybody, and welcome back to the podcast. I hope you are all doing okay, surviving these wild, wild times. We’ve been quarantined, this is going on week four for us, and this episode won’t come out for about a month from me recording it, so if we’re still quarantined it will be like eight weeks, which is crazy. And this last weekend… all we do is go to the grocery store, like once a week. And we are protected when we go in there. One of us goes. It was me this week, and we kind of take turns. But it was so weird. I really went into the grocery store and I was like, “Is this really real life?” This feels like a movie. You’re waiting in line outside the grocery store, six feet apart from everybody, with the blue tape on the ground. Everybody has masks on. Nobody’s really looking at each other. The energy’s so weird. I hate it. It feels like we’re in this, honestly like in a movie, and I have to sometimes wake up and be like, “Is this truly all really happening?” So crazy.
So I hope you guys are taking care of yourselves and surviving these times. I feel like everybody’s just a little bit off, and gosh, we’re dealing with a worldwide, traumatic, traumatic event that’s impacting everybody. Everybody, in some way, is impacted, in so many different ways, whether it’s their job, or their kids are home, or a loved one is sick with this. So many things. Like even going to the grocery store. It’s just everybody’s impacted. It’s crazy. It’s definitely the craziest thing of my lifetime, which doesn’t say a lot because I’m young. But I was talking to my parents and they’re like, “This is the craziest thing that’s happened in our lifetime too.” So yeah, anyway.
So I am excited about today’s episode because I hope that it provides some inspiration for you guys. And before I dive into it, I want to just start with saying that whenever I do something like this, it’s in no way… If I call out something, and it is something maybe you’ve been doing, and I’m calling it out as like, come on, step up, and you can be better type of message, it’s because I am doing it with love. And because I know what entrepreneurs are capable of, and I know who’s winning right now and who’s not, and kind of the different, like what really matters.
So if I do that and you feel at all triggered during the episode, just kind of take a deep breath in, and understand that I am coming at this with trying to help and encourage you to step up. So if you haven’t done that yet, just know, no judgment and I love you guys, but I also tell it like it is a lot, and give you that hard truth that sometimes we need to hear. And I know I appreciate it when people do that for me. Even if I don’t want to hear it in the moment, I appreciate it later on. I have lots of mentors and friends who do that to me a lot, and I do, I always end up appreciating it. Even if in the moment I’m like, “Wait, it feels like you just punched me in the stomach.”
Okay, so I’m titling this episode The True Entrepreneurs Will Be Exposed. And I just find this so fascinating to watch. And I’ve actually been trying to find material on past economic crises and reading about companies that did really well through them, and just learning about the CEOs and the entrepreneurs who navigated those things, because it’s really fascinating to me, kind of watching two things happen. I’m saying the true entrepreneurs will be exposed because I basically believe the businesses that are here next year, those are the true entrepreneurs, who make it through this.
Now see, that’s the part that could trigger you. Because that means… it still counts if you shut down a business and you start a new one, or you completely change your business. It’s if you’re still here. And I have so many thoughts on this, but that’s the part that I don’t want you to feel bad if you’re in that boat where like, “I don’t know if my business is going to make it,” because my belief is that you will make it no matter what. You might have to make a massive pivot to make it, but you will push through. The true entrepreneurs will be here in 2021, in 2022, because we don’t let anything knock us down.
So I’m watching two things happen over the last month this has started to roll out. The first thing is there is a whole camp of people who, as soon as this happened, were like, “Okay, I got to do this, and I got to do this, and I might have to pivot here, and I got to talk to my customers, and here’s some marketing opportunities, and I’m going to shift my messaging here, and I might have to change my product here.” And they were on it, like all of those types of things. And that also meant, in my opinion, if you are a…
So here’s an example. We have a local coffee shop. And obviously, they were shut down because of shelter in place. So the first thing that they did was, when they were closed down for dine-in eating, they put up a huge sign that was like “Takeout!” They advertised that they were doing deliveries now within five miles, which they’d never done before. They obviously had takeout before but they were doing deliveries. And they did everything they could to keep getting sales. But then they also really focused on their online coffee sales because they had that as an option.
That’s a true, to me, entrepreneur who’s stepping up and is like, “I’m not going to just wait for this to pass by. I am going to make this work. I’m going to make sure my business survives through this, however that looks.” Another example is, a different friend I have, who has an in-person business, did the same thing. They had to shut down their in-person business, but they immediately started delivering services online. And I’ve been seeing people do this with like, online yoga classes that used to be in person. I have a friend who owns… I actually go there… she owns a wellness center, and they do acupuncture and massage and yoga. And so they obviously can’t do acupuncture and massage, but she immediately started putting out virtual yoga classes for her members. So that’s the pivoting. And while it might not be as profitable as her regular business when it’s in person, they’re still taking action.
And then there are a smaller percentage, but still, people who are just like, “Well, we’ll wait this out. And hopefully by May, or mid-April,” or whatever they were saying, “it’ll be better and then I can just reopen my business.” And the problem with that is you’re putting it in somebody else’s hands. And the entrepreneurs who succeed are the ones who take matters into their own hands and make a difference, make a change, make it work no matter what, no matter how hard it is, push through and make it work. And that’s why I love entrepreneurs so much. And I’m one of these people, and I feel like these are the other types of people who I resonate with the best is, just people who are like, “It doesn’t matter what is thrown at me. I will get up tomorrow, and I will do this again, and I will go until my business is successful again,” or keep it successful, whatever boat you’re in. And that’s why the true entrepreneurs will be exposed.
Because what happens is, we have economic crises, but there’s companies that have been around for a long time, and have made pivots where necessary, and throughout the roads and the different times, and things that have been thrown their way… And then there’s the ones that last for a couple of years, and they come and go, those companies. I want to be a company that’s around for decades. Now what my company looks like, who knows? It might change, but it doesn’t matter. Every single day, I’m getting up, and I’m doing this no matter what’s thrown at me. And I’m going to serve our audience, I’m going to serve our customers, and I’m going to grow my team and grow my company, because I know I can, no matter what’s thrown at me. And that is what it takes to truly be an entrepreneur. That’s why it’s like… What is it? Five, I don’t even know, 5%, probably, less than that, of the population are actually entrepreneurs because it’s so hard.
But right now, you guys, we are being called to step up. I really believe this. And I’m so… like I almost get goosebumps talking about this, because when you look at what’s happening… I do get goosebumps talking about this, especially when I see it like, it just feels like a calling right now for entrepreneurs. Because do you know what’s going to get us out of this crisis? Entrepreneurs. People who are going to sit here and say, “We have to make a change. The world is never going to be the same again.” People are going to be more aware of being around each other, being in big groups, having big events. Homeschooling, home birthing, all of those types of things are going to become huge because we don’t want to have to have our whole life knocked like this again, because this will happen again. There’s going to be another virus, probably, in the future, if not maybe this one’s going to come back, right?
So the people who make the decision and say, “We are taking control right now, and we’re going to change our reality so that this doesn’t happen again,” are basically the entrepreneurs, changing the way that they’re delivering their services, and their products. And the entrepreneurs, I believe, are going to guide the entire economy and country out of this by pivoting themselves. And so the true entrepreneurs are the ones who are going to figure out how to still sell, how to still serve, how to still build their business and keep the economy running, even in this situation. Not wait for it to go back to normal because it’s not going to go back to normal! And by now, by the time this episode has come out, you’ll probably have figured that out. It’s not going back to normal.
So you have two choices right now, where you can wait around, wait for it to go back to normal, hope that you get some assistance from the government, or that somebody helps you, or gives you advice. But nobody owes that to you. Here’s an example. This is a basic example of something that happened to me. So there are a lot of loans and grants available right now for small businesses, and I truly believe that anyone who’s informed is going to get a significant amount, at least, of money from the government right now, because of what’s going on. But it’s complicated. You have to know what banks to go to, how to apply, what you’re qualified for, what you need to give them. You have to figure those things out. You have to spend some time doing it.
And I did a post that was like, “Are you informed, and are you going to take advantage of these loans?” And a lot of people were like, yeah, and sharing links and excited about it, and that was the majority of the people. But I had two people message me and say, “Hey, I saw your post about those loans and grants. Could you send me more information on them?” No. Why would I do that? I just did a post. Inside the post is a ton of information about the grants and loans that you have to click on and read and figure it out yourself and go apply for it. And why would I spend my time doing that for you?
Those are the people… I’m not trying to be mean… nobody owes you anything. Nobody owes you their time to do that for you, or to come and help you, or to save you. You have to take control of your situation. And whether that means a small thing like taking control of your time to actually sit down and learn about the loans and grants. The links were in the post. It’s not like she was asking me like, “Hey, could I have a link?” She was asking me to tell her exactly where to go to apply, and it was literally in the post, in the comments, if she would have just read them.
And actually, I had multiple people do that. And that happens all the time. People will be like, “Oh, will you sit down and help me figure out my Facebook ads?” No, you can actually take the time to listen to my material that I put out for free to learn it, and then you can pay us. It’s those people that, gosh, I’m sorry to say this… unless they change the way they’re operating and the way their mindset is, they will struggle forever. They will not become successful. And that’s what I mean why this could be triggering.
But here’s the good news. If you’ve done this, or you’re like, “Shoot, I might’ve done this before,” you have a choice right now to change it. You have a choice right now to step up, become that leader, become a true entrepreneur. You are a true entrepreneur. If this is already you, you are already a true entrepreneur, and it’s already in you. It’s just a matter of are you going to step up and do it, or do you think people owe you something? So that’s one side of this.
The other side that I think is going to expose the true entrepreneurs is, first of all, everything I talked about. Are they willing to take control themselves, pivot where needed, take action, have urgency? Like, not wait around for this to change for them, but decide what their path is going to look like. That’s what makes us an entrepreneur, is we’re like, “No, we don’t want to do it that way. We’re not going to do it the way everybody else has to do it. We’re doing it this way, and we’re going to make our own reality.” And that’s how you’ve probably gotten to where you are. I know it’s how I’ve gotten to where I am. I’m like, “I’m not going to college. I’m not doing that, what everybody’s telling me to do. I’m going to do it this way, and I’m going to succeed, and there’s no option. I will succeed.”
That’s how I feel now. I don’t care what gets thrown at me, the economy, anything that happens right now. I still will have my business in a year, two, three, four, five from now. I can’t tell you exactly to the point of what it’s going to look like, because I have to be willing to pivot and adjust to economy, and to society, and to the needs, and to technology even. My whole business is based on technology. I might have to be able to adjust things, but it’s still going to be here, 100%, because I’m committed to it. I’m making that choice.
The other piece that’s important is [are you] willing to play the long game? It’s beautiful. Right now, anyone who’s in this for the quick, get money really fast in 30 days, results ASAP, I have no patience, and I’m not playing the long game on my business, is going to be weeded out, because you won’t survive. But people who are in this for the long game, like I just said, and know “I will have a business in years and years from now,” will survive through this. But people who aren’t, no, they won’t, because they can’t see that far. They need it now or they give up.
And one of the ways that’s showing up in marketing is Facebook ads are super cheap right now, but in some cases your sales might be down. It depends on your business, right? But if Facebook ads are super cheap, that means it’s an amazing opportunity to be able to spend on lead generation, brand awareness ads, get your message out there, speak to the times, massively show up for your audience and step up, and then leverage that with the cheap ads, grow your list. Even if sales are down, if you can see it that way, you’re in it for the long game.
Now given, I know you have to have some money to spend on Facebook ads for that to work, and hopefully you do, or a lot of my friends and clients were able to even get some of these grants and put them all back into ads so they could spend more money, and take advantage of the cheap ads right now. I know not everyone’s in that situation. But just being able to see that it’s not about just the sales over the next two months, three months, while this all calms down and finds its new normal, it’s not just about that. That’s such a small amount of time in the big scheme of your business.
You need to be thinking about the long game, and “How can I leverage this right now for my myself, my audience, for sales, for my business growth? How can I create opportunities and solutions that weren’t there before? How can I pivot? How can I adjust? How can I change so that this never happens to me again,” if something happened to your business or you lost a lot of your revenue in sales. Now is the opportunity for you to ask yourself those questions, and come up with the solutions, and those questions never existed before. So you have a massive opportunity to create solutions and answers to the problem that were never there before, and could be better than what you had before COVID and before this economy, right?
And so people who are willing to play the long game, and they can see past the next couple of months, they can even see past the next year. There’s times in business where it’s just sustaining… We have to keep our clients, we have to keep our current customers. We might not grow, but if we sustain through this, we’re winning. That’s okay. Those entrepreneurs will be exposed, and will come out on the other side, and will have a business in one plus years from now. It’s the ones who are like, “Well, if I’m not growing, this is not going well, I’m going to give up. Next month looks like crap, so quit this thing.” Or, “I’m just going to wait for it to go back to normal. I’m going to wait for my government money. I’m going to wait for somebody to help me.” Nobody owes you any of that.
I qualify for some of that assistance, and yes, I’m getting it, and yes, I’m using it for my own business growth. But I also didn’t assume I was going to get it. I wasn’t like, “Oh, well, I’ll just wait around till I get my government money. Then that’ll keep me in business.” No, I took action from day one. And I’ve talked to a lot of our clients who were like, “We may have been uneasy about staying unless you had taken that action.” I mean, literally when Trump announced the borders closing, that’s when everything kind of, people were like, “Oh, this is real,” the next day I had [an] email to our clients, podcast series going out, all of these things.
And I’m not saying it to be like, “Oh look, I’m so cool.” I’m saying it because that is what you have to do to get to the other side of this. And that’s why I believe, right now, the next at least three to six months that we’re about to go through are going to weed out the entrepreneurs who are not willing to step up, who are not willing to play the long game, and they’re really not willing to lead through a time like this. So you have to make a choice right now which one you are, if you want to have a business in a couple of years from now…
I mean, think about this for a second and ask yourself, “Where will my business be in 90 days from now?” And just consider the scenario right now that you’re in, given the situation, given what’s happened, and ask yourself where your business is going to be in 90 days. Are you going to be in business? Are you going to be thriving? Are you going to be surviving, sustaining? What are your goals? What is your plan? And then start taking action on that, and step up. Because not only does your team, and your audience, and your customers need you, but truly, the entire world needs us right now, needs us to figure out what it means to pivot, to figure out what it means to adjust to this new normal, and the whole world will follow us.
And I am so excited to be able to go through something like this, and use my natural born leadership skills to bring my team through this, to bring my family through this, to bring my audience through this, to bring our customers and our clients through this. I love it, and I know that every day, no matter what is thrown at me, my company will be here. And I know that I will get up and I will do it again, because this is what I was born to do.
All right, you guys, thanks for tuning in. I hope this was inspiring for you because I know sometimes people need that permission to step up. And I think if you can shift your perspective, knowing, one, there’s going to be a new normal. Stop waiting around for this to go away, or to change, or to go back to normal. It’s never going to be the same. And two, it’s time for you to look at the long game, to think about where your company is going to be in 90 days from now, and then a year from now. It’s time for you to step up, play that long game, lead. If you have to pivot, pivot. If you have to change your messaging, if you have to change your offer, if you have to change whatever to survive through this so that your business is still here in a year, then do it.
Your audience is still there. So that’s why playing the long game is important. If sales are going to be down for a couple of months, that’s okay. Take advantage of the time for lead generation, brand awareness, and whatnot. But your audience and your people are still there. The day-to-day scenario, and their needs, and their desires, and what they’re going through has changed, but they have not changed. They are still there. So keep that in mind. Thanks so much for tuning in, guys. I’ll catch you on the next episode.