Downturns

During the Great Recession, from 2007-2009, I got really into starting my own companies. I started a music studio, film score library, and multiple small web experiments like an html design engine. I’m a musician by trade, creative at heart, and—because we happen to live in a capitalist society—a de facto businessperson. But all of what I’ve learned about business has been through doing the work and learning the hard way. I was going on instinct, or feel. I failed a lot. I learned a lot. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I inadvertently got a lot right.

Downturns are good times to create value with mission-aligned people.

I had spent those years, as we slowly emerged from the most prolonged economic downturn in our lifetimes, deeply involved in what business folks call value creation. I’d taken various aspects of my skills and experiences and put them together in all sorts of different ways, with so many different people I have a hard time remembering all of it. These were some of my leanest years, I barely made rent. It was difficult. My resolve was tested but I was committed to focusing on work that was truly me. I wasn’t looking for a job, I was building a way of life. 

I found a person who understood this and encouraged my madness. I am grateful to her everyday for that. 

When we read books, or watch movies and tv, we’re influenced and inspired by stories of redemption and success. Stories by nature are linear but life rarely is. We want our paths to be constantly moving forward and resist moments when we really should take a step back to rebuild and invent. We have short term linear realities like the cost of food, clothing, and shelter, staring us in the face all the time. Yes, we like taking our nice vacations. Sacrificing our short term wants for our long term needs takes vigilance and a healthy dose of courage. You’ll be going against the grain of how everything around you works. 

Dig deep. You’ll be surprised at your own resilience. 

To be honest, I didn’t really pay much attention to what was happening in the recovery coming out of the Great Recession. In hindsight it’s easy to see I had spent those years creating value with mission-aligned people. By 2010 my brother and I had started laying the foundations for Wildlife Control, which came directly out of building my studio business and intense periods of writing. By 2012 Wildlife Control was on the radar of all the NYC startups, leading to my joining forces with Venmo. Those were two big moments when all the lean years of building and inventing translated into value realized in the world. The hit songs, Grammy nominations, and financial success all came out of years of digging deep and building.

Something about downturns inspires me. I think it’s that I’ve spent so much of my life creating things that I now enjoy the longer term cycles. I long ago abandoned thinking about my life in a linear sequence, and more as one big chunk of galactic time, where I have this amazing opportunity to create things in the world. Maybe it’s that downturns sift out the noise and thunder of massive valuations and everyone takes a moment to reset their expectations. While Wall Street shifts its focus to profitable companies, a secondary story begins around all the new ideas, artists, and inventions that will emerge over the next 5 years. I’m beyond excited about that and I hope you are too. 

It's time to create. Find your people.