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Good Times, Bad Times

Written by: James Chan

Article Overview: Good times and bad times are like day and night. They alternate and affirm the passage of time.

Good Times, Bad Times

Entrepreneurs want control over their lives. This is why we want to start and run our own businesses. Yet we know that we are really never in control~{!*~}either over people or the course of events. What we get is the illusion of control, much as employees who get their weekly pay checks get the illusion of security.

Sooner or later, everyone who goes into business is going to suffer reversals. Sometimes these are wakeup calls that teach us something useful. But they can also threaten the very survival of our enterprise. The possibility, and thus the fear, of failure is something we must live with, but we shouldn~{!/~}t let it debilitate us. There are far worse things that can happen. Besides, people live through failure, and spring back all the time.

This is why we must learn to rejoice when times are good. We need to admit, and remind ourselves from time to time, that we have succeeded in what we do~{!*~}simply because we have been able to keep doing it and make a living at it.

Some people seem to have more difficulty coping with good times and reveling in their success than they do when they are facing adversity. To admit that things are going pretty well seems to be tempting fate. That~{!/~}s something you shouldn~{!/~}t worry about, because something bad is probably going to happen eventually, whether you enjoyed the good times or not. The key is to survive the setbacks, and you have a better chance of doing so if you get your energy from joy rather than from fear.

That is, I know, a lot easier said than done. It is perversely tempting to search the clear blue sky for dark, ominous clouds. These storms will come, but we must learn to enjoy the sunshine.

Once you~{!/~}ve experienced some ups and downs in your business, you realize that it is pointless to fear future setbacks. You mustn~{!/~}t lose sight of the fact that the realization of our independence is reason for celebration.

This willingness to accept success, to feel that there is a reason to be joyful, despite the knowledge that bad times will come, is an enormous asset~{!*~}a gift that we entrepreneurs can give to ourselves.

Good things happen all the time, and too often we take them for granted. Terrible things also happen. They~{!/~}re part of life. The only issue is whether we are going to interpret them as evidence of failure, or merely as temporary setbacks.

The knowledge that days won~{!/~}t always be sunny can have constructive consequences. Bad times offer good lessons to help you weather even more severe storms ahead. Nevertheless, fixating on the possibility that things will take a turn for the worse can prevent us from noticing the good times while they~{!/~}re happening.

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Article Tags: adversity, better chance, celebration, checks, clear blue sky, fear of failure, good times, illusion, ominous clouds, realization, reversals, setbacks, storms, sunshine, survival, tempting fate, ups, ups and downs, wakeup calls, willingness



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Re: Info for would be franchisers... - [quote="Sebastien":1d29sdv1]Like Franchise Times, Franchise Update is a very practical magazine. There is no blah blah, just straight facts that anyone in the franchise community can relate to. I just want to mention that all these magazines are NOT franchisee oriented. I mean these magazines are for franchise professionals. If you're looking to buy a franchise, you won't find much information in there. To answer your question, getting published in Franchise Times was fairly easy. I don't want to brag too much but I think I am known in the franchise industry. I was the marketing guy at Franchise.com for a few years before joining my new company, the World Franchising Network. So people know me and I have a very good relationship with Nancy Weingartner, the Managing Editor at Franchise Times. I was talking with her at the last Franchise Expo South in Miami and she mentioned she'd like me to be profiled. I was like "ok, sure!". I like this franchise executive profile thing in Franchise Times as it is rarely BS. People are usually really natural in there.[/quote:1d29sdv1] Thanks for the follow up Sebastien! And I can't say that I'm surprised that networking with the right people and managing your relationships with them properly are the keys to being published. I guess the old adage holds true of "it's not who you know, but who knows you" that's important.
Does a New Company need a "Big" PR firm? - I've started work with a brand new company that is going to do loss mitigation. My boss intends to hire a "big" PR firm - ie one that costs a lot of money - because he wants press releases sent out to the New York Times, the LA Times - all the major papers around the country - and he think they'll be more likely to print them if they come from a "big" firm as opposed to a one-person PR firm. I think it doesn't matter where the press release comes from as long as its well written. What are the opinions here?
Re: Does a New Company need a "Big" PR firm? - [quote="OmnivoreInk":dmj1i0sv]I've started work with a brand new company that is going to do loss mitigation. My boss intends to hire a "big" PR firm - ie one that costs a lot of money - because he wants press releases sent out to the New York Times, the LA Times - all the major papers around the country - and he think they'll be more likely to print them if they come from a "big" firm as opposed to a one-person PR firm. I think it doesn't matter where the press release comes from as long as its well written. What are the opinions here?[/quote:dmj1i0sv] I think the most important factor is whether your press release will reach the most number of your target audience or not. It won't matter if the press release is well written if no one has the opportunity to read it. I also believe that credibility comes with having your press release in an established source like The New York Times, LA Times, etc... For instance, if you enjoyed playing tennis, who would you trust more? The advice from a recreational tennis player who has his own column in [i:dmj1i0sv]Tennis Magazine[/i:dmj1i0sv] [u:dmj1i0sv]or[/u:dmj1i0sv] the recreational tennis player who has his own blog? I don't know about you, but I'd listen to the guy on [i:dmj1i0sv]Tennis Magazine[/i:dmj1i0sv] over the blog owner at least 9 out of 10 times.
Re: Does a New Company need a "Big" PR firm? - I agree with Kevin [quote:3b8fyubd]I think the most important factor is whether your press release will reach the most number of your target audience or not.[/quote:3b8fyubd] You dont a big company that will charge mega bucks as Im sure they will even add a %age to the cost of the press release. Im sure if you approach New York Times, the LA Times with every thing presented professionally I think it will still stand the same chance. I would start advertising online, then locally thats when the NYT can see what there missing out on! And to test the water first!
Re: Info for would be franchisers... - I concur with the above posters. Franchise Times is a very good industry publication.


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