Adjust the Sails:

It is pretty clear that the economy is navigating some pretty impressive headwinds. The squalls are very substantial. A ship rarely sails with a constant tailwind, more often than not the winds are coming fast and furious from the direction that you want to sail into. Sailors learn long ago that they cannot control the wind, however they can easily adjust the sails and take advantage of any wind.


In her book, “The Tao of Personal Leadership” Diane Dreher defines three kinds of people in any organization:

Those who see problems - the victims
Those who see solutions – the managers
And those who see possibilities – the leaders

What possibilities can you see from the current tsunami?

Maybe it is not you:

The NY Times has a great map showing areas that are in a recession and areas that are actually growing. Perhaps you have the right concept, the right menu, the right décor and the wrong location.

Move!

Hat Tip(The Big Picture)

The Second Century:

There have been several moments during the past six months where the Chicago Cubs actually demonstrated the capacity to stretch beyond the rip currents of history. Though the 2008 team bears no resemblance to the 1909 team, the common thread through the centuries has been the same, zero for October.

Wait till next year!

Reusable carry out bags:

Andy’s post about reusable bags got me thinking why don’t QSR's implement reusable bags.

Reusable shopping bag

Create an amazingly cool shopping bag. Something that is reusable and so cool that people will want to carry it around. For $1 you can have all of your customers become walking billboards all over town (and be happy to do it). Retailers should give the bags away for free instead of selling them. Trader Joe's or Whole Foods should flood a town with logo-covered shopping bags, watching their competitors turn green with envy.

P.S. Douglas Farquhar, Director of Business Development at Renovos invites you to check out ReJAVAnate.com where you can find environmental sustainability in a reusable bag program, not just a quick fix.

Thanks for the email tip!

Rollercoaster:

Cameron Herold’s post on harnessing the emotions entrepreneurs undergo during these crazy times:

* Stage 1: The first stage of the concept is called “Uninformed Optimism”. At this stage on a rollercoaster, just getting to the top of the rollercoaster, you experience feelings of an adrenalin rush, characterized by excitement and nervous energy.

* Stage 2: The second stage is called “Informed Pessimism”. As you ride over the top of the curve you now have a bit more information. Feelings of fear, nervousness, and frustration begin to set in. Perhaps you even want to get off of it.

* Stage 3 – The third stage is called “Crisis of Meaning”. You’re past scared. You feel despair. It’s as if you’re standing on the edge of a cliff ready to jump, and you begin to think “Today the rollercoaster’s going off the bottom of the track for the very first time.” You feel helpless and you’re both terrified and frozen.

* At this point, you face a critical juncture. You can come off the bottom of the curve and crash and burn, which is when your business goes bankrupt, you lose your marriage, you start drinking, or you end up in a doctor’s office because of stress. Or you can come around the corner because you’re getting support at “Crisis of Meaning” and you can enter an upward swing call “Informed Optimism”.

* Stage 4 – Informed Optimism. You’re calm. You’re informed. You might even say you are cautiously optimistic.