05/04/2020
"The worst thing that can happen to an economy of any size is for the majority of people in it to lose hope in its ability to make a comeback." Ryan Lilly Ecosystem Hacking https://www.amazon.com/Ecosystem-Hacking-Entrepreneurs-Economy-Faster-ebook/dp/B07P985YX7/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=ecosystem+hacking&qid=1586091426&sr=8-2
In his book, Ecosystem Hacking, Ryan Lilly has already laid out a roadmap to our recovery. He certainly didn't anticipate how powerful his words, experience, and insight would become. But as we prepare to face the new normal, you can only do yourself a favor by reading this book. It's not like you don't have time.
As the imposed isolation and economic shutdown continue to drag on, many of us are digging down deep to find things to keep us occupied and distracted. Some are huddling in the corner, licking their wounds and shuttering daylight. Others may be enjoying the downtime by catching up on work, reading, self-improvement, forgotten hobbies and much more. Meanwhile, there are those who are fast at work plotting and planning how they will rise again once the fog clears and we can go back to life as normal.
If you haven't entirely fallen asleep during the current crisis you may be aware that what we once knew as "normal" will no longer be just that. The sooner we accept the "New Normal" the more likely we will be to bounce back. People talk as if all we have to do is mop up the mess and get back to work. Let's hope it really is that easy.
In reality, the COVID Crisis of 2020 has transformed the landscape. Many businesses have already failed, and many others will soon follow. How the survivors go to market may be the most significant transformation of them all.
We were already headed towards more video conferencing engagements (though many of us prefer the face-to-face program), and food delivery has become far more popular in recent years than actually dining out. Face it, there isn't much we can't get delivered right to the front door.
We have seen the trend in education moving more and more towards remote learning. College students have already been suffering from a lack of soft-skills; wanting to get an education in the closet and apply for jobs they can do without ever leaving that closet. We've been breeding this environment for a long time.
One of the most exciting things about living in Ocala, FL, has been the thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem. (Thank You for being a strategic part of this movement.) While far from perfect, it is in the least in touch with reality. In this case, the new normal.
We have the simple choice of seeing all of this as a tragedy or as an opportunity. We can choose to see the new landscape as a wasteland or a fertile field ready to be planted, nurtured and harvested.
One thing seems quite evident. We will either thrive or we will become a casualty. And that is entirely by choice.
Some of the greatest inventions and achievements have been fostered from adversity. We identify the needs, the problems, and we find ways to satisfy and overcome them. Great problems and many needs have been laid at our doorstep. The time is now to rise up and meet those challenges with new ideas and renewed determination.
"It is not the strongest or largest of cities that will survive the new economy, but those that are most adaptive to change." Ryan Lilly Ecosystem Hacking https://www.amazon.com/Ecosystem-Hacking-Entrepreneurs-Economy-Faster-ebook/dp/B07P985YX7/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=ecosystem+hackin
For more than a decade, Ryan helped over 1,000 entrepreneurs in 3 states achieve success. But along the way he encountered problems.Ryan quickly became frustrated that old-school economic development wasn’t working. The new field of “entrepreneurial ecosystem building” was st...
