Do we carry on as usual or sell it all and take that trip?

Work Smart Not Hard Tip No. 47 in a series written for Indie Cambs

We’re once more plunged into world events that threaten to disrupt our lives and businesses and over which we have very little say or control.

In circumstances like this I usually recommend focusing on the things that we CAN influence, and trying to avoid feeling helpless. This is still good advice and if you find you need to tune out the horrors in the media in order to function, you’re not alone.

And yet we mostly carry on. We make the best of things and continue to work to create the lives we wanted when we started our businesses, even when supply chains are interrupted and prices are unstable.

In previous work smart posts I’ve emphasised the need to stay tuned in to what our customers are experiencing and what they want from us to make them feel better. Human connection remains top of that list but needs to be handled carefully so as not to get drowned in other people’s worries or to seem to be dismissive of them.

I spend six weeks of each year in Canada and on my latest trip talked to several groups of 30+, well educated, reasonably wealthy Americans who have decided to “sell it all and take that trip”. They’re not planning for the future because it’s so uncertain so they’re cashing in and having fun instead.

If this trend continues and spreads, could these people be your customers? If people are not tied to a specific location, not interested in putting down roots or acquiring more than they can carry, would your business survive?

I’m not being alarmist here, it’s a small shift, but in the USA in the 60’s the move from owning property to living in mobile homes and following manufacturing jobs caused a huge change in American culture and lifestyles and it feels like another wave of people seeking more freedom might be emerging.
Working smart is all about using our time as effectively as possible to create the money to live the life we really want so maybe now is a good time to think about trends that are emerging.

Life in small, independent businesses is never dull! If you’re already seeing changes or have any thoughts on this, I’d loved to explore them with you. Let me know!