The 2011 Economic Collapse, and How You Can Avoid It.
It seems I can’t go anywhere without hearing the doom and gloom about the economy; and how it is going to affect us all when it hits; like its some kind of natural disaster, a tidal wave if you will – heading for our shores to wash us away in its wake and leave nothing but grief and destitution behind.
I heard this same thing last year, and the year before. Stinks a bit of “cry wolf”.
As a kid, our parents used to say to us “don’t cry wolf,” for we won’t believe you when the real wolf comes. I understood it then, but I think especially now it has a more prevalent meaning. “Dont’ cry wolf, ’cause if you do, and enough people believe you, the wolf will appear.” The wolf will be manifested, not a real wolf but one that lives and feeds inside our own minds; this type of wolf is worse; because like any parasite, we need to kill a part of ourselves to kill this wolf.
Which makes me think, is it such a bad thing?
I’m wondering why so many businesses are going under, but then there are others that are growing and even thriving. to my philosophical brain this could only mean that the economy is subjective; You make your own economy. To say “the” economy is going to collapse would therefore mean that for the vast majority of the population, their own personal economies will collapse. But then there are people that will still be making a lot of money.
We are so fortunate at Stripfit to have more than 80% of our client base as business owners, so it is with much interest that I listen to their tales of success or failure. Granted, the success is not on the same scale as in the golden years, but still turning a profit none the less, some of them turning a very high profit. When I say same scale, what I mean is that it hasn’t come as easily. 5 years ago, there were people making 6 figures while only working half a day a week; times were good, money was flooding the streets; it was the time of the blue collar millionaire.
Right now, for every successful business owner we have training in our facility, we have seen 3 who have quit because they can’t afford training any more. Can’t afford to look after their own health. Some of these people only months ago bragging about how they bought the latest, greatest car or 3D TV, now riding a bicycle around, eating weetbix and 2 minute noodles as a staple diet.
So with this in mind, I decided to unlock the secrets of what the successful people were doing that the unsuccessful people were not; and I have narrowed it down to a few key points.
Trade Real Value
The businesses that are thriving are the businesses that are providing a good, honest service at an equitable price. They are giving real value. Businesses that have shut down are businesses that were not providing value. Consumers are wise now, they are looking for value; not some hypey rubbish that can’t be backed up. It reminds me that a year ago I went to a business conference, and listened as a room full of business owners talk about how to increase their conversion rate, their number of leads and their upsell; we all ran around the room coming up with crafty ways to trick people into spending more. I remember leaving thinking to myself how dirty it all felt. Although we had come up with some crafty, clever ways of (for want of better words) ripping people off, we just couldn’t bring ourselves to implementing any of them. “How could we extract the most amount of money from each lead we get in the door,” was the mentality. A selfish mentality. Now, only 12 months on; nearly half those people are out of business. Those people had fooled themselves into believing that business was about them, how much money they could make. Business is not about the business owner, business is about the client. The only way someone is going to hand over their money to you, is if you give them something that is of equal or greater value to them. It’s that simple. Watch the quick video of Internet and Marketing genius rebel Frank Kern, who continues to make an absolute fortune in an apparent “dying” economy. I love his honesty, and no bullshit approach to world issues.
You Control Your Economy
The key people in these successful businesses understand that the economy is about what you do in your business, not an external factor. While it is important to be trading something of value, it is also equally important to believe in your product or service and continue to deliver it as best you can. I’m absolutely adamant that there would be a lot more businesses still open and making money if their owners did not freeze themselves in indecision; the “what if” of the global economy. it reminds me of the old saying that goes “you miss all the shots you don’t take.” We just can’t sit around waiting for the economy to affect us, we control the economy, it does not control us.
Work Hard
The people in these successful businesses work hard. Here I am going to reference fitness. there is no such thing as a get fit quick scheme with no work. Your results directly relate to your effort. Gone are the days of the “4 hour work week” or the “business that works without me” pipe dream. The people who still believe in that are now wondering why fame and fortune have not yet found them as they line up in front of Centrelink. What you do in the dark gets exposed in the light. If you play on Facebook every day, when you could be working; you’ll know about it. If you spend those hours working on your business, on yourself, on your family, on your future; you’ll know about it. Not only will you be financially successful, you will be spiritually fulfilled, because you know that you did everything you could. You didn’t let naysayers and your bogun neighbours talk you out of having a go.
There you have it, 3 keys to success in a dying economy;
- provide great value,
- control your own economy and
- work hard.
I can tell you with absolute honesty that if it weren’t for these 3 thoughts pervading Sharny and my mind 6 months ago, Stripfit would be counted among one of those dead businesses. Somehow, through luck or purpose, we caught ourselves out before it was too late. That is why we are publishing our book, write this blog and created Indoor Bootcamp Australia. Indoor Bootcamp Australia runs at a loss, and we write this blog in our spare time; late at night and on weekends because fitness and health are the most important commodities in your busy lives, followed closely by love and family. the external economy coming in a very far away last. We LOVE what we do, we LOVE what we provide to the people of Stripfit, the gang at Indoor Bootcamp Australia, and the readers of our blog. We LOVE giving the joy of fitness to people.
So next time someone tells you about this economy collapsing, you can quote this line from the movie Suckerpunch:
“Everyone has an angel. A guardian who watches over us. We can’t know what form they’ll take. One day old man, next day little girl. But don’t let appearances fool you; they can be as fierce as any dragon. Yet, they’re not here to fight our battles, but to whisper from our heart, reminding that is us, it’s every one of us who holds the power over the worlds we create.”
And if you still believe that the economy is out of your control, remember that we have warning, we can prepare for it at least. I am however, going to hold onto my optimistic belief in my economy and fiercely defend my understanding of the economy as an idea, a thought, a collective manifestation birthed in greed and fed by fear. A sheep in wolf’s clothing. Nothing but a fairy tale to scare the weak among us. I’m going to kill the wolf with hard work and value.
Times are great, I have my health, I love my family and they are safe from harm. What else do you really need in life?