We all know that the economy has taken a serious hit because of the coronavirus. Small businesses are suffering, and many Americans have lost their jobs. People are having a hard time seeing the silver lining. Something I recently learned really struck a cord in me and I want to share it with y’all.
Some of the greatest businesses & inventions started during the toughest of economic times.
For example, Mr. Walt Disney was (and still is) an icon that changed the world. He was the innovative film maker that brought cartoons to life. He later pioneered his theme park – considerably the most famous theme park in the world today. But.. how did he rise to success?
This small town Missouri man was a high school dropout when he decided he wanted to join the army. His plan to fight in the war quickly fell apart when he was denied for being too young. He joined the Peace Corp instead & drove an ambulance in France. When he moved back to the U.S., he worked as a cartoonist for a local newspaper. Though he faced some troubles, it sounds like he was leading a pretty generic life.
Then, the Great Depression hit. The Stock Market crashed, and the U.S. economy fell apart. People rushed to pull their money out of the banks, which caused the banks to close. It was the absolute worst economic time in U.S History, and caused the entire economy to collapse. It was only during this time that Disney was able to make his mark on the world. Pioneering his way through the early days of audio and motion pictures, it was The Three Little Pigs followed by the famous Mickey Mouse, that captivated America’s eyes and hearts. Disney’s movies became a fresh of breath air, and given American’s a reason to be happy. He started thriving – despite the long lasting and continuing depression. If it wasn’t for this time of struggle, Disney would not be the business nor the brand it is today.
Here we are 100 years later, and struggling with a COVID-19. Though our entire economy hasn’t collapsed, we’re still facing a similar situation. People who have never struggled are now struggling, and our world has drastically changed – very quickly. It’s easy to say “now is not the time to chase after that dream”, because of the lack of economic stability….but in fact, it could possibly be the exact opposite. There may not ever be a better time than now to start chasing those dreams. Believe it or not- here’s a few other businesses that started during an economic downturn:
- General Motors
- Hewlett – Packard
- Mailchimp
- Uber
- Square
- Groupon
- Venmo
- The Chocolate Chip Cookie
- AirBnb
- Microsoft
All of these are name brands and have completely changed the way Americans operate their day to day lives. So next time you want to go watch some Netflix on the couch, or turn on Disney plus for your kids- I hope you remember this story. Remember that while you’ve excused yourself from hard work because of a struggling economy, others are out there ready to make their mark on history.
It doesn’t matter if you have dreams as big as Disney, or the dream is just to run a small entrepreneurial business, now is the best time to start.