So our business is down 52% and the world is on fire, but this is the most excited I’ve ever been about the future. I admit this will sound insane… but hear me out and don’t judge until the end.
Hey gang,
Wow! So, first of all, lots of replies to my last email. Thank you for those. They were hilarious, humbling, and reassuring, because now I know I’m not the only out there taking a beating from the universe right now.
It turns out our suspicion was spot-on: lots of you are going through hard times at the moment, and you are just as annoyed as we are that many people are playing along with the narrative that everyone is profiting from the end of the world except you.
With that said, I have bad news for you: you can’t rage-quit in 2020.
And I know you probably want to. We sure do. In fact, I found some live video footage of how 2020 is going for most of us so far:
Once this is all over, I’m convinced that the world is going to be fundamentally different from the way it used to be.
It’s time to turn off Netflix, put on actual pants, do some pushups, and get ready for the new world order that we are barreling towards.
Even if you, your career, or your business are going through a rough patch, there are massive opportunities on the horizon — the key is to act now.
The new world order
Things don’t look good.
People are getting laid off from their jobs left and right. I have friends who had six-figure salaries just a few months ago that have recently filed for unemployment. Yelp came out with a study last month saying that more than half of all businesses that have temporarily closed this year aren’t coming back. Ever.
It might feel hopeless, but it doesn’t have to.
We started to do some research on how people usually react during bad times, and it turns out that some of the greatest leaders, entrepreneurs, and comeback stories in modern history were just regular people who suddenly found themselves in a crisis…
…and then acted on the opportunity in front of them.
- John D. Rockefeller, the American oil and railroad magnate widely considered to be the wealthiest person to have ever lived, started his career as a bookkeeper during the Panic of 1857.
- Walt Disney founded an animation studio in 1929, at the start of the Great Depression. After fighting for many years to survive, he launched his first full-length animated film right as the Depression ended, a movie called Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.
- Airbnb was created during the 2008 housing crisis. Two guys were trying to figure out how to pay their rent, noticed all the hotel rooms in town were booked because of a conference and decided to rent out airbeds on their living room floor.
These people weren’t thriving during a crisis, they were struggling like you and I are right now. But they pushed through the struggle and took advantage of the opportunities that were opening up because of the crisis.
Look, I get it. You thought 2020 couldn’t get worse, and then all of a sudden: murder hornets have entered the chat
It feels like we are facing unprecedented disaster after disaster, but if you zoom out a little bit and take a look at history, it turns out that humanity is messy, and disasters actually happen all the time.
The reoccurring theme seems to be that it’s the ones who act, despite the fact that they’re taking a beating, that come out on top.
We have no idea when this is all going to end, but here are the 4 things I think will be true on January 1, 2021:
- People who lost their jobs and businesses will start learning new skills (coding, sales & marketing) and will use those to start new side hustles and businesses
- People who kept their jobs will realize that “job security” isn’t nearly as secure as they thought, and will also start new side hustles and businesses
- Businesses that are surviving but barely holding on, will want to pivot or create new and diverse revenue streams
- Businesses that are thriving (for now) will realize that we won’t be stuck at home buying puzzles and hand sanitizer forever and will also want to create new and diverse revenue streams
Amid all the chaos, I have to admit: all of these things are great news.
We are officially giving 2021 its own name, it’s own title, because we think it’s the beginning of a new era. We’re calling it:
The Rise of the Little Guys
little guys == small businesses, entrepreneurs, freelancers, consultants, bloggers, indie marketers, and creators of all types.
Jasmine, Aladdin, and I believe this whole new world will be different in 2 major ways:
- More people than ever before will start businesses and side hustles
- Little guys, not monolithic institutions, will be the real growth driver in the new world
… and those big, monolithic institutions that do succeed, will be the ones that are actually powered by the little guys.
Companies like Squarespace, Stripe, Teachable, Shopify, and even Amazon, have all been growing in large part due to the creation of thousands of new and profitable small businesses (aka, the little guys).
Everything that’s already happened in 2020 (as well as everything that’s about to happen) will dramatically accelerate the rise of the little guys.
That’s why we are excited, and boldly optimistic, for what’s next.
Boldly optimistic, because of the opportunities I was talking about at the top of this email.
I’m more confident than ever, because of the rise of the little guys, and how I believe this is all going to play out.
Here’s how I think this is going to affect you:
If you’re a consultant, agency owner, freelancer, or marketer
Opportunity: There’s going to be a lot more people than ever before that will need your skills and services to help grow their businesses.
Challenge: Your potential clients will be a lot more careful about how they spend their money AND there will be a lot more competition to serve those clients.
If you’re an entrepreneur or creator (blogger, artist, coach, etc.)
Opportunity: There’s going to be even more tools and services out there to make it easier and cheaper than ever to start and grow your business.
Challenge: Your potential customers will be a lot more careful about how they spend their money AND there will be a lot more competition from other small businesses.
——-
If you fit these descriptions, there’s a way to take advantage of this massive opportunity and overcome the challenges ahead.
You need to act now and get ahead of the competition.
Despite all the insanity of the last few months, I’m convinced that this will go down in history as one of the best possible moments in our lifetimes to invest your time, effort and energy into the LGE (little guy economy).
On January 1st, 2030, 10 years from now, I think that we are going to look back at this moment and say, without question, that the real winners were the people who embraced the new world order, took their temporary beating from the universe with a smile, and decided to do something about the circumstances they found themselves in.
We don’t control what happens to us, but we do control how we respond to what happens to us.
That’s why, with our sales and revenue trending down at ClickMinded, we made a $52,362.11 investment into the Little Guy Economy.
Exactly what are we investing in? That’s next.
Eyes up for my next email. And stay safe!
– Tommy
PS – What do you think about The Rise of the Little Guys? Are you seeing something similar in your life? Does it excite you, scare you, maybe a little of both?
Hit reply, send me a message, and let me know what you think.
