Not Prepared For Victory… And No Wonder.

Recently, I have noticed a phenomenon: Small business owners are not prepared for victory.

Small business owners have been turned into fist-fighting warriors, battling for survival. Reduced revenues, high overhead and, especially, unaffordable debt service have forced you to become cash flow experts, accounts payable jugglers and downsize experts. You’re taking blow after blow, suffering from unimaginable pain and frustration yet maintaining the vigil and battling daily to stay afloat. Nothing new here, this you all know and understand. This is your plight. What choice do you have?

The real issue is, those who are doing the debt workouts and experiencing loan forgiveness are, in some instances, stuck in fight mode or a defensive posture, still fighting a battle which is now over as they have eliminated the major cause of destruction of their small business: overburdening debt. The small business owner must make a huge adjustment from times of war to peace and many trip up in the transition, forgetting that peace requires different skills. Successful emergence requires surrendering to victory. It seems like a heavenly prospect, yet it’s very hard to do when you’ve been engaged in fierce battle for the past few years.

So what is the problem?

The problem is the inability of small business owners to make the transition from warrior to peacetime leader, once again taking the team to victory, instead of fighting impossible battles. When the battle is over we have no need for the warrior. When you successfully remove the debt and reduce your personal guaranty—in other words, when the battle is over—you need to be a builder, a developer, a thinker, a planner, a marketer… not a fighter or a warrior. The small business owner must wear many hats. For the past few years, for many, it has been a warrior’s helmet as you enter into battle, tenaciously holding on to your business. Do the debt workout and your hat becomes that of a leader, a builder, a marketer, a manager…

Let us not trip over the finish line. Leave the battle behind. Be the leader you can be and lead your business to victory. Once you have completed the workout, engage in the turnaround and be a peacetime leader, ready to carry your company to the promised land of security and safety. It is not easy. It requires different skills, but you can do this.

This is a huge challenge for the small business owner, one that is resulting in many failures. It is a difficult and dangerous transition from war to peace, but it can be done. Be careful and call us for help: 413-584-2581.