If there’s only one thing to take away from any business advice, let it be this: keep your knees bent because tough times will come. Staying flexible, alert, and resilient isn’t optional. It’s essential. Every business, whether a solo operation or a billion-dollar brand faces storms.
Some Tough Times Will Be Your Fault
Even well-established companies can stumble through their own mistakes. Peloton is a recent and well-known example. The company experienced explosive growth during the pandemic when demand for at-home fitness solutions skyrocketed. But that momentum came crashing down.
A tragic incident involving a child being pulled under a Peloton treadmill led to a major lawsuit and public backlash. The Consumer Product Safety Commission fined the company $19 million, citing the continued sale of products with known safety defects. It was a stark reminder: missteps, especially around product safety can have devastating consequences.
And Sometimes, It’s Just Bad Luck
Not every setback is self-inflicted. Some come out of nowhere.
A small local coffee shop, once a bustling neighborhood favorite, found itself struggling overnight, not because of poor service or a bad product, but because a Starbucks opened right next door. Nothing changed inside the shop. Same staff. Same coffee. Same loyal customers. But the presence of a global brand shifted the landscape almost instantly.
Some challenges are simply unfair. But they still have to be faced.
When Sales Dip, Go Back to the Fundamentals
A few years ago, one business hit a particularly difficult stretch. Sales dropped significantly, and the owner couldn’t even afford to pay themselves just the employees. There wasn’t a clear explanation for the decline. It was likely a combination of things: reduced focus on customer service, a lapse in aggressive sales tactics, and drifting away from what had worked before.
The solution? Go back to the basics.
Just like in football, when a team starts losing, they go back to blocking and tackling—the fundamentals. The same logic applies in business. When things aren’t working, simplify. Revisit the systems that brought early success. Sharpen the core strengths that once made the business thrive.
The Value of Resilience
Resilience isn’t just a buzzword—it’s a habit. In sports, athletes are taught to show up whether they win or lose. They practice after victories. They practice after failures. That consistency builds mental toughness.
The same is true in business. Some days will feel like game-saving tackles. Other days, the metaphorical running back will fake right past and score. Mistakes will happen. Confidence will be shaken. Positions will be lost but they can also be earned back through discipline and drive.
Resilience grows through adversity. It’s forged in the moments when giving up feels easier—but the decision is made to keep pushing.
Be Solution-Oriented
In business, staring at a problem too long can be paralyzing. It’s important to understand the issue but even more important to act. The ability to ask, “What’s next?” and “How can I fix this?” is often what separates businesses that bounce back from those that don’t.
Mistakes will happen. Setbacks are inevitable. But wallowing in regret isn’t productive. Forward motion is.
As a powerful quote from T.D. Jakes says:
“If you keep looking back, taking inventory of what you have lost, you are not focused on what you have left. And what you have left is enough.”
Focus on what’s left. Use it to rebuild, to pivot, to grow.
Helpful Resources Business Owners
- Small Business Administration (SBA) Resources & Tools
- IRS Small Business and Self-Employed Tax Center
- SCORE – Free Mentoring & Workshops
- NOLO – Free Legal Information for Small Businesses
Final Thought
Tough times don’t mean you’re doing something wrong, they mean you’re doing something real. Every business owner hits them. Some due to mistakes, others due to uncontrollable forces. What matters is the response.
Keep your knees bent. Stay alert. Stay ready. Be willing to change direction when needed. And always push forward, no matter how hard it gets.
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