Tag: bird flu

The Spanish Flu And Suppressing The News

The worldwide pandemic
of 1918-1920
is referred to
as the Spanish Flu.

That isn’t because
the pandemic started in Spain.

It is because
Spain was one of the only countries
that initially didn’t suppress news
about the spreading pandemic.

The rest of the world
did what the rest of the world
is doing right now
with COVID and Bird Flu
and Climate Change
and other negative news
– they reported on news
only when it suited their owners’ goals.

And it didn’t suit their owners’ goals
to report on the pandemic.

The news has always been
manipulated.

It is merely more obvious now
due to the internet
and the easier
person-to-person
communication of events.

And it is more serious now
because many of the events
the news now chooses
not to report
could kill us,
could kill loved ones,
could kill our businesses.

Have other sources of news.

Experts are often available
via social media.
Follow and listen to them.

Is It Applicable To The Average Person?

An expert advised people
on social media
to stock up on Tamiflu
in preparation for
the certain-to-happen
mass Bird Flu outbreak.

Tamiflu is by prescription only.

The expert told people
to ask their doctors for prescriptions
for ‘preventative purposes.’

The rich, the powerful, the connected
can get prescriptions
for ‘preventative purposes.’

Doctors will do
favors like that
for those people.

They’ll take that risk.

Doctors won’t do favors
for the average person.

The expert doesn’t know that
because he is one of the elite.

We, business builders,
also
aren’t the average person.

We have knowledge
other people don’t have.

We have resources
other people don’t have.

We likely have connections
other people don’t have.

Ensure there is
an ‘average person’
on your team
(formally or informally).

Check with them
before giving advice
to other average people.

The Big Sales Push

Bad times are approaching.

COVID is still here.
Candida auris is spreading so quickly
and is so deadly
reports about it are being suppressed.
Bird flu is about to go supernova.

And those are merely
the pandemic-like threats.

What does this mean
for business builders?

We prepare.

And we sell as much as possible
as quickly as possible.

Strive for December-like sales
in May and June.

Market like wild.
Sell like you’ve never sold
in the past.
Bank those sales
and those profits.

Lean times are coming.
Fill that bank account.

Hiding The Problem

Governments are, right now,
hiding the true impact
of Bird Flu.

I suspect they are hoping
it will go away
and they won’t have
to make tough leadership decisions.

What it is truly doing
is making the Bird Flu situation
much, MUCH worse.

They aren’t giving scientists
the data
for them to manage it,
stop it,
cure it.

Right now,
I suspect you have a problem
you’re tempted to hide.

I certainly have a problem
like that.

Hiding the problem
will likely make it worse.

Share your problem
with people or entities
that can help you
address it.

That’s the best way
to make it go away.

Disconnecting From Reality

My Boomer Mom carefully curates
everything she sees and hears.

She doesn’t want unhappy news
so she deliberately
filters it out.

She lives in
a happy alternative world
where war and pandemics
and climate change
aren’t threats.

She is vaguely aware they exist
but she doesn’t believe
they will impact her
and she doesn’t want
to hear about them.

She’s not alone
in doing this.

As the world becomes
more and more challenging,
more people will try
to disconnect from it.

As business builders,
we don’t have that luxury.

Remaining connected
to the world
and to reality
will be key
to our success.

Resist the urge
to disconnect from reality.

Politics And Leadership

A buddy shared
that the government
isn’t worried about bird flu
or COVID or Candida auris
or any of the other health issues
floating around.

Why should we be worried?

Government leaders
and heads of government agencies
are concerned most
about being re-elected
and/or keeping their jobs.

That is their number one goal.

Protecting the average person
including the average small business owner
is secondary…at best.

And voters don’t want
to hear about pandemics
or wearing masks
or taking other precautions.

So leaders,
intent on being re-elected,
aren’t going to talk about it.

We have to make our own decisions
for ourselves
and for our businesses.

The government
will advise doing the bare minimum.

Do that bare minimum.
But also consider
doing more.

Because the government
won’t bail out
our small business a$$es
if employees or customers
sue us into the ground.

Protect yourself.

News Means New

A buddy was surprised
when I told him
bird flu was still killing
thousands of birds
and other animals.

He was investigating
starting a free range
chicken farm.

He told me he hadn’t seen
anything
on the news
recently about bird flu.
He assumed it was over.

He didn’t see anything
on the news
because
media got bored of that ongoing story
and moved on.

News, in today’s world,
means new.

If it is
disastrous flooding
in Europe
or wildfires in Australia
or COVID deaths
…well…everywhere,
the news isn’t covering it
because all that
is now considered ‘normal.’

(And also because
covering it doesn’t sell
their advertisers’ products
or promote their owners’ agendas.)

Don’t assume
if it isn’t
on the news,
it isn’t happening.

Do your own research.

The Revival Of The Travel Agent

Four years ago,
many people declared
travel agencies to be
a dead business.

It was super easy
to book flights
and hotels
and other vacations
online.
There was no need
to pay a middle person
to handle that.

In today’s environment
of climate change
and pandemics,
wars
and strike actions,
that has all changed.

Many people would love
to pay extra
not to have to worry
about all of that.
They would pay
to have someone else
monitor situations
and quickly rebook travel
and accommodations.

The key words
there are quickly
and monitor.

But those two requirements
are made easier
with AI.
Alerts can be set up.
Alternatives can be offered.

Dead industries
aren’t always dead forever.

Consider basing a new business
on one of them.

Flexibility As A Selling Point

Yesterday,
I talked about how
the world is challenged right now
and flexibility will be
key to success
going forward.

Flexibility will also
be a key selling point
for products/services
going forward.

It WILL influence
more and more buying decisions.

Flexibility could look like…

Offering cancellation insurance.

Making it easy for customers
to rebook services.

Allowing customers
to change delivery times.

Giving customers
a credit
when they cancel.

Allowing customers
to switch from pick up
to delivery.

Accommodating customers
with last minute bookings
or changes.

Flexibility WILL be
a selling point.

Can you factor flexibility
into your product or service?

Flexibility Will Be Key

A loved one and I
were planning to go on vacation
soon.

This vacation will likely
be postponed
due to a strike.

We’ll be okay financially
as we had planned
for a possible delay.

We had thought that delay
would be
climate change
or pandemic (COVID or the next one)
related.

It was a strike,
something entirely different.

Flexibility will be key
to success
going forward.

Try to make your plans
as flexible as possible
AND
try to increase
your customers’ flexibility
when using
your products/services.

Things happen.
They will continue
to happen.
Plan for that.