A Little Dryness
Red Squirrel was initially, relatively spared from the chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Though we did have to cancel a trip to Northern Italy.) We were already 100% remote, working in a distributed mode, spread out from Chicago to Lagos. Our clients were adapting and some were even thriving as society was undergoing rapid change. This benefitted us, until that good fortune dried up. In June we finally started feeling the affects of the economic slowdown. We had some clients ramp down, but new clients did not immediately appear.
Thankfully we have a financial cushion that will keep us afloat for a while. But as the company’s owner, this slowdown has me concerned, which has made me focus on growth and marketing like never before. This slowdown is changing my behavior.
My career in software development started 20 years ago. I’ve grown a fairly large professional network of people and companies over those two decades. Red Squirrel’s growth to date has happened largely via inbound requests for help. I haven’t had to spend tons of time generating business. Much of our work has come organically from my reputation as someone who cares about doing good work. I believe that growth strategy is not going to be enough to get us through 2020.
I’ve been thinking about a quote from one of my favorite authors, the late, great Jerry Weinberg.
A little dryness now and again forced the plant to extend its roots further down into the ground in search of moisture.
I read Antifragile a couple years ago. Jerry is describing anti-fragility with this concept of dryness forcing plant roots deeper. Plants that grow these deeper roots aren’t just surviving in the face of adversity, they are getting stronger.
Droughts certainly kill many plants. And this economic downturn has already shut many businesses down, and it will continue creating financial hardships around the world. It’s certainly possible that Red Squirrel won’t survive this slowdown. But I am determined to develop new approaches to growing the business. I am hopeful, and working to ensure, that we will emerge from this slowdown stronger than we entered it.
