We get asked this question quite a bit. To be fair, it’s a great question. What amazes people is the answer.
Ready? It’s always a good time to start a cleaning business. We’ll tell you why a little later.
You must be wondering about other businesses too. Well I guess it would depend on the industry to an extent, but recessions don’t really slow down the entrepreneurial spirit that much. In fact during this recession business start-ups have actually surged.
What’s amazing is the fact that many of the most well known companies in the world were started in either a recession or a depression. This means if you started a cleaning business today, you would be in good company.
Need some proof? Take a look at some of the following companies that were started in a poor economy.
General Electric – The financial world was a real mess in 1890. The company faced a global economy that was in a recession, then it got worse as the U.S market collapsed three years later. Oh…I forgot to mention, there was also a rush on gold that further weakened the economy.
Disney – Though Disney technically was founded in 1923, it didn’t officially become Walt Disney Productions until 1929. Guess what happened in 1929, stock market crash. Needless to say, I think they are still around.
Burger King – In 1953 as the Korean War was ending, inflation was raging out of control. Of course that didn’t stop this company from having success.
Microsoft – One of the major mover and shakers our our lifetime was started in 1975. Many would say this was not a good year to start as “stagflation” crippled the nation. Stagflation is a triple headed monster consisting of rising unemployment, inflation and a stagnant GDP. On top of all that they had to deal with the OPEC issue, which caused high oil costs and major shortages of gasoline.
What does this mean for you? The state of the economy doesn’t much matter when you should or shouldn’t start a business. Success or failure is based on you (the founder), not the economy.
If you are the right person for the job you will succeed no matter what the state of the economy is. On the flip side, the wrong person starting a company in the best economy would fail. It all boils down to your decision making and leadership.
So if you are looking for a threat to the survival of your business don’t look at the news, look in the mirror. The way to make your new business recession proof is to run it as efficiently as possible.
This means don’t spend what you don’t have. The immediate cause of death to any new venture is running out of money. Being frugal in the beginning stages of your company will pay big dividends.
Success will come your way if you play it smart and as always deliver on what you promise. Just show your potential customers what you can do for them, solve their problems and become a valuable asset to their organization. If you can do that, the recession will be no match for your leadership.