Your Entrepreneurial Window of Opportunity is NOW!

Anytime there are problems, recessions, or pandemics in life, there are opportunities to innovate and create something new! If you have always had that IDEA in the back of your head but haven't acted on it, NOW is your window of opportunity. Many great businesses such as Uber, WhatsApp, Instagram, Pinterest, Square, Groupon, and Venmo were all started during the 2008 Great Recession. Read more about each of the companies in the article "10 Successful Startups Founded During the Great Recession of 2008."

What you will notice as you look at each of the companies is that they all SOLVED a need that wasn't being met at the time. Groupon was able to better connect businesses and brand to consumers through amazing online deals. Uber was created because two guys couldn't find a taxi on a cold night in Paris. WhatsApp was needed because more people around the world wanted to message but didn't have the same cell plans. WhatsApp enables people to send messages by only using Wi-Fi!

In the time of Covid-19, there are a lot of uncertainties. Many will wish it away and want to return to normal ASAP. Entrepreneurial minded people will take time to reflect on what is needed and capitalize on the opportunity! Check out these "16 Great Business Ideas For Fighting The Covid-19 Pandemic." Are there any that you could work with, start, or capitalize on?

There are some ideas that have been going through my head during this time that I have been thinking through such as how do I make a better version of the app Houseparty? They have done a great job providing a Zoom-like game experience to those who use it, but how could we offer more creative, innovative, digital games that connect our friends and family more often to have fun? Online shopping sales have skyrocketed; could you buy things at a cheaper price at say a Marshalls and resell online through Poshmark? What about mental health? How can we set-up better support for those not able to get the face-to-face treatment that they need? Is talking on the phone with a therapist really working for everyone? Lastly, with many restaurants still being closed to dine-in seating, how they are using social media and engaging with customers is so important. Are you able to offer your experience or expertise to any local businesses?

Anytime I have an idea I always run it through this thought process and ask myself these questions before considering pursing it as an opportunity:

1. What consumer need does it meet?
2. Do I have the resources and skills needed to create the business?
3. Can I supply the product or service at a price that will be attractive to the customer yet will be high enough to earn a profit?
4. Can I get it up and running before the window of opportunity closes?
5. Is it sustainable?
6. Will it work in my community or online?

If you want a very practical and helpful brainstorming tool, check out the Business Canvas Model. It allows you to think through any idea using a digital model to ask and answer the tough questions. What opportunity will you capitalize on during these changing times? DREAM BIG AND BE AWESOME!

10 Positives Through COVID-19

At first, both my wife and I working from home while raising a toddler was extremely challenging. Each week, we have learned how to better work together and make the best of the situation presented. We can't always choose the cards we are dealt in life, but we can always choose how we play them. After reflecting on the cards we have been dealt and played over the past two months, here are the ten best things & positives that have come from COVID-19 in my World. I would love to hear your best moments and positives from this challenging time in our lives in the comments below.

Good moments are in each day even if some days we have to look a little harder!

1. Lucky Charms: Rarely did I eat more than a yogurt and apple sauce for breakfast in the past. With having a toddler, I have really enjoyed the reconnection with marshmallow cereal as an adult. Something about those Lucky Charms are just MAGICAL :) More fun though has been had through our daily breakfasts conversations and dances! 

2. Family Connection: Both sides of my family have connected more than we ever have using Zoom. We even had a family Easter dinner over video which was crazy yet fun. By staying connected through laughter and stories, we will get through this together.

3. Arts & Crafts: I've never considered myself an "artsy" or "crafty" person. Before all of this happened, I relied on the teachers at my sons school to do arts & crafts time. It has been enjoyable each week to search Pinterest and lesson plan with my wife about what we want to do creative with our kid for the week. 

4. Family Haircuts: With hair dressers and barbershops closed during the pandemic, our family has learned how to give each other haircuts which has been a blast. My wife is really getting good at cutting my fade! I might even hire her full time!

5. Teamwork: When thrust into distance learning, our business team jumped in head-first and built the plane in the air as fast and efficient as they could. I know I said this in a previous post, but I am very blessed to have a great group of professionals to collaborate, grow, and laugh with during this time.

6. God: Having more time at home has given me more time to reflect on God's word and connect digitally with some solid mentors to continue to learn and grow how He is working through all of this. Ephesians 3:20. 

7. Creativity: I have been the most creative I have been in a long time when it has come to using my imagination! We got a electric car for my son a few weeks ago and instead of throwing the box away, I made a pirate ship out of it and we sang "We Are the Pirates" 1,000 times! We have built blanket/pillow forts, played camping outside, and have had a lot of creative adventures!

8. Parks & Hiking: With the only thing being open during the pandemic, our family has really enjoyed going to the parks to hike, walk, throw rocks into the lakes, and discover random items. Nature has been great to clear the mind and refresh the soul.

9. Not Rushing: The daily schedule before Covid-19 used to be wake up at 5:45, rush to get a shower, dressed, kid up, out the door, work, workout, get kid, make dinner, do chores, play, bed, AND then do it all over again. I have really enjoyed the flexibility of each day to not rush the mornings and enjoy my family more than ever.

10. Baby Grant: My wife and I welcomed "Grant Spencer Donatelli" into the World on April 24th, 2020 at York Hospital. Everything went as well as it could have, and we really appreciated all of the doctors and nurses who helped!

I look forward to hearing your positive(s) through this time! Take care and be safe.