Virus Anxiety & Online Entrepreneurs: The 4P Framework
In my last column I wrote about my buddy Brian Basilico’s new saying:
“Don’t Panic — Pivot!
You can read it here:
It’s a good column with great tips.
And then I got to thinking:
“What do you do after you pivot?”
Some ideas are below…
The 4P Framework
We begin with a choice: Panic or Pivot.
Panic: Since this is my first pandemic, and I’m guessing your first too, I know it’s tempting to give in to panic. Even though it does not help.
Pro Tip: Go on a “media diet.” Stay informed, yes. But a steady daily diet of cable and online news will leave you curled up on your back like a dead roach.
Pivot: The last thing you want to do at this time is to “go dark.” You know, just hide out and wait it out. Lot’s of people are doing it though.
Instead, ask this question:
“In how many ways can I shift into serving my community, audience, customers in a different way, that both helps them now and sets them up for success in the future when this passes (and it will).”
It’s a great question to ask, and as Andy Andrews says:
“The quality of our answers can only be determined by the quality of our questions.”
Now what?
So let’s say you’ve come up with a few cool ways to serve your customers during such a time as this. Good for you. They are gonna be happy and so will you.
But then you’ll face things like resistance, fear, anxiety and more, all of which can slow you down and even stop you.
So what to do?
The next 2 P’s
Persist: Stay with it. Expect resistance and have a plan to keep going. You may need to adjust the ideas that came from your pivot, and that’s a good thing.
I’ve always believed that no one ever fails online, some just give up before the magic happens.
Keep going. Persist.
So between Panic and Pivot, you’ve chosen to Pivot. Good job. And now you’re choosing to Persist, no matter what. Even better for you.
Ready for the 4th P, the payoff? <oops, that’s a “P” too>
Profit: On the other side of persistence you’ll find profit. In at least 3 ways:
- You’ve become stronger and more resilient.
- You’ve helped your customers.
- You’ve also profited financially.
Sure beats going dark and playing “dead roach” don’t you think?
Kinda looks like I’m creating a series of “Virus Anxiety & Online Entrepreneurs” columns, huh?
You can catch the first in the series here:
And now a word from the good folks at Medium to keep us on top during the pandemic:
