Flowers in the bombsite

Hints as to how to thrive when the river of money dries up.

Delighted to see my article in Startsup Magazine this month
pet: "Entrepreneurs always look for an opening (it’s the definition, after all), and change creates many more openings than closings.
There is also a strong correlation that goes back decades what suggests that start-ups founded in hard times do much better than those founded when money is easier. (Apple, Microsoft, Adobe, EA, IBM? All founded in the pit of recessions). COVID has created huge demand for life science solutions. BREXIT has accelerated demand for digitally enabled logistics and supply chain management. Tighter equity cash has driven super-efficient support networks for start-ups (Seedlegals, 100days, BPlans, Xero) as well as new channels to access venture debt lending, invoice discounting, transaction finance and more. A generation determined to moderate or reverse climate change has shown an astounding pivot to green and zero carbon services and products.
Those economic storms that blew down the big trees in the business forest have now left open air and clear soil for agile, well planned, fast start ups to grow in and reach the sky. In nature, jungle ecologist call these “typhoon clearings”, and they are a vital nursery for young trees.
To overstretch the analogy, when cities are bombed (as we are so tragically seeing in Europe again), the next spring often sees a riot of flowers growing in the rubble. Some of those flowers could be you. Avoid becoming rubble."

It is a quality publication, and well worth the time taken to get a free subscription. Recommended.