Fear Kills Businesses, Dead

By Brian Solis, blogger at

and principal of

PR, Co-

Author Putting the Public Back in Public Relations

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Stuant63 viaFlickr It’s official. We’re in a recession. Recessions naturally inject fear and panic,which is only heightened by every discussion of market losses, layoffs, bailouts,and somber predictions. We’re only human after all; of course everything affectsus personally and emotionally.Fear is not a catalyst for productivity however.With valuable advice pouring in from concerned and sympathetic entrepreneursand proven leaders, businesses are indeed responding quickly to make decisionsthat equate to a secure and prosperous future - hopefully.This constructive advice has helped businesses focus and weigh difficultdecisions sooner than they might have without it.

However, over time, productive guidance has mutated into a glut of negativeforecasts and grim predictions that pillage precious and vital airtime fromcontributing to the resolution of our financial predicament. Simply said, fear, andthe dissemination of distress, slowly erodes hope, vision, and ambition, ultimatelykilling businesses instead of guiding them.Fear inspires desperate actions. Hope combined with clarity and inventivenessgalvanizes action and engenders opportunities.

Opportunity vs. Emotion

These are emotionally charged times which only fuel emotionally-drivendecisions. Unfortunately, the advice shared from many experts now and in thepast is subjected to both literal and open interpretation, and thus guiding or misguiding the next steps of established businesses and emerging startups.

“Don’t worry about getting ahead, instead, just survive...Cutting deeper and quicker is the formula to survive.” -Sequoia Capital

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thisisanicephoto viaFlickr There’s a distinct difference between survival and real world business andwithout continuous expert advice specific to the landscape and climate of each

business ecosystem, many companies may unwittingly lock themselves in anisolated panic room instead of taking strategic steps to evolving and growing thebusiness opportunity that exists today.General advice is just that, general. One prevailing set of strategies andrecommendations doesn’t apply to all.In a conversation with veteran CEO and financier Steve Larsen, currently co-founder of Krugle, Inc., he advised, "Of course, don’t be stupid. Have enoughcash to run your business, but I think the doom and gloom crowd are getting toomuch airtime. Look for opportunities. Difficult times are when they’ll most likelyoccur. When we’re at ‘steady state’ and things are normal, good opportunities aremuch harder to find with GREAT opportunities nearly impossible. It is duringperiods of tumult and transition when you can spot things that lead to thegreatest returns - if you are alert. So be alert."In every recession, abundant opportunities are inherently rife. To simply believethat this is a generic time to step off of the playing field to warm benches or takea seat in the spectator bleachers in the hopes of emerging once again to readilyhave a shot at winning the game is illogical. Business, and customers, do notstop making decisions – they’re just more discerning during volatile economicclimates. But make no mistake, if you choose to stop vying for customer attention, the world will move ahead – without you.This is your time to vault ahead of your competition to earn rapid and sweepingvisibility, for a fraction of the time and money that was required to excel duringthe “good days.”Your rivals are retreating right now, so what are you going to do about it?