“Dear Mr Day, due to the ongoing recession, I’m writing to advise you that there is a risk that your position may be made redundant.”
Sound familiar?
More than 16,000 businesses went to the wall last year. It’s phenomenal. OK, so the picture was worse in 2008, but there are still more companies going bust in 2012 than there were in 2002. That’s thousands of businesses unable to limp along in this recession with tens and hundreds of thousands of people affected.
The pretty side of this bleak picture is that new companies are being formed all the time. So in the month of June 2012, when 1,670 businesses went into liquidation, there were 8.727 new businesses formed – that’s more than 5 times the number of businesses that failed.
And here, I believe, lies the opportunity for you and us all.
Risk It For A Biscuit & Enjoy
Don’t worry – this isn’t a sob story. I lost my job in December 2011 when, due recession, debt, commercial, legal and a host of other reasons, the business I worked for went into administration. Some of my ex-colleagues are still out of work now – 8 months later – and they’re finding it tough. They’ve come out of a difficult sector – commercial and high-street printing – which is really feeling the pressure of the recession and are struggling to find similar businesses that are growing.
I too am ‘out of employment’ – but not out of work. I recognised that with new legislation giving employers the power to get rid of staff almost arbitrarily in their first two years of employment, there’s a risk associated with taking on any job. And, with a ridiculous number of people applying for each one, the chance of getting an interview was low and chance of spending a long time on the dole high. Not what you’d call ideal circumstances.
So, I Risked It For A Biscuit and formed what is now CRM SuperStars. I backed myself with the skills I’ve learned over the past 18 years in work and am using these to help businesses large and small get control of their data and use it to grow.
Empowering Through Redundancy
Redundancy can be terribly cathartic. You’re free from the shackles of your previous employer and you’ve got a blank canvas in front of you. Whatever you felt beforehand, the next steps you take in your life are completely in your control. If you so choose.
Because you could sit down on your sofa and wait for the phone to ring with a job offer for you. You could sign-on to the dole and wait for positions to become available that you could apply for. Or you could do something positive and start earning your own money.
I simply couldn’t afford to sit around waiting for work, I had to take control and crack on! I beat redundancy by taking a risk. A calculated risk. If I was as good as I thought I was at doing things that help businesses better manage their data, then why should I sell my time to someone else for them to make a profit on?
Sure, there’s lots to learn about business – there always is – but with modern technology, it’s a) not difficult to form a business and get started, b) quick and cost-effective way to promote what you do with social media and google advertising and c) whilst every day is not an earning day, those days where you are selling your skills to a client are rewarding and profitable. The challenge is getting enough of those billable days to make your business worthwhile!
So, my first step is for you to see that redundancy creates you an opportunity. An opportunity to take back control.
Don’t leave control of your life in the hands of others – if you’ve got the energy, passion and skill to take the risk, do it.
Have you been made redundant? Are you thinking of starting a new business? Let us know your ideas, thoughts and experiences – and share with your friends and colleagues.
