Recession Reset: Are Recessions Actually a Gateway to Hypergrowth?

I can’t stop thinking about it. Weeds thrive in disrupted ground.?

It’s when they make their greatest gains.

If that’s true, their growth model ought to do the same for us during recessions. And if it is true, Weed Strategy just may be the Holy Grail of business strategy—a methodology for thriving because of disruption.?

Recently, I’ve been reading stories of sudden drops in the housing market. Interest rates are climbing. Developers are already panic-selling entire housing tracts to investors at great discounts.?

While there is a lot of pain for those stuck out of position, there is an obvious opportunity to make great gains in real estate holdings if you are in position.

But just wait. As the recession deepens, those discounts will cut much deeper. And a lot of disrupted properties will suddenly become available at new historic lows.

The same will become true across the economy, in all sectors. If you have the cash, this next recession (and every one thereafter) will become a time when you can make great gains.

The trick is being in position. So how do we do that?

For that, we can look to the weeds for counsel. They are the experts at thriving during disruption, after all.

In good times and in bad, weeds always deal with what is. They never do anything without an unfair advantage. They never do anything alone. And they always focus on what makes them win.

That means maintaining a fiercely focused mindset, a constant focus on develop unbeatable competitive advantages, always operating at our greatest scale and following a winning, but always adaptable process.

For us, and especially during a recession, that seems to translate into four critical steps.

1. Unfair advantages:? Recessions are a time of economic scarcity, which means you’ll have to compete harder for every dollar. The weeds deal with that through myriad unfair advantages they’ve cultivated to spread their seeds farther, grow faster, and defend their turf. What are your unfair advantages?

2. Collaborations:? Weeds never do anything alone, they’re always operating at scale. We can do that by creating a web of collaborations that greatly extend our reach and access to new clients. Collaborations amount to new unfair advantages your competitors will not be able to match. Who can you collaborate with to explode your scale?

3. Spread elements:?Weeds excel at creating spread through highly-mobile seeds, that probe every possible opportunity to take root. We can do that, too, by creating compelling spread elements that are easily and gladly shared, especially among those we want to win as clients, strategic partners and referral sources.?What are your spread elements?

4. Strategic timing:?Weeds follow growth and senescence cycles just like other plants, but they do it strategically. We see that in action as they’re the first to bloom in Spring, the last to quit their growth processes in Fall, and their rapid rates of physical growth to overshadow other nearby plants. As recessions progress, we’ll see opportunities peak and wane. Paying attention and moving when the timing is best ensures the greatest gains.

Recessions are painful. They leave a lot of us scared and unable to move. They involve a lot of loss for many people. But they are also part of the natural cycle of excess and eliminating waste. Writ large, they are a necessary part of a healthy economy, and an inevitable part of life. We know they’re coming, and we know there are things we can do to lessen their grip.

Do you agree with the conclusion that recessions can also be a time of great opportunity for growth? How do you prepare for recessions??

Comment below, and if you’d like to discuss it directly, I’m hosting a live round table on thriving during recessions this Friday at 10 am PST/1 pm EST. Register here.

#business #growth #strategy #recession #entrepreneurship