I mentioned opportunity at the end of my last post. Let’s expand on that.
As we navigate through what is proving to be an extremely “different” business environment, I am reminded of a local planning board meeting I attended a few years ago.
Under discussion was a recent blight of failed businesses, and some empty buildings on the town’s main retail strip. The conversation turned to “what are people going to think when they see these empty buildings?”
Most answers were pessimistic. “Failure”, “Blight”, “Downtrodden”, etc. But the voice I really remember came from the back of the room. An enterprising young man, in a confident manner, said “opportunity”.
And he was right. With just a small marketing push from the town, within a year, every empty building was filled with a new business. Most of them are still in business today. And the ones that didn’t make it got filled with new owners again.
I see the exact same thing now. From my seat at the equipment financing end of the business table, I am seeing some industries shrink, but I am seeing others rise, and take advantage of the opportunities presented. For example, we just got a call from a corporate training company who needs more AV equipment. Why? Because they are expanding their workshops to include greatly expanded work at home training for both employees and executives.
On the other side of the coin, I’m sure there’s a corporate training service out there who is scared, because big offices might not be as prevalent in the future. Same situation, different outlook.
Listen, this isn’t meant to be a feel-good “keep your chin up” post. Not every bad situation can be changed by changing your outlook. But I am saying there is always boundless opportunity. The companies who consistently look for these things are the ones who survive.
I’ve known construction companies who financed new machines right after a disaster, and were first in line when the rebuild started, because they were ready. I already mentioned in another post about the dry cleaner who went after hospitals and first responders. These things are real, and they happen every day.
Opportunity is always knocking, folks. Sometimes the knock is soft, and sometimes it’s deafening. But it’s always there.
