Auto Repair Shop Owner's Daily Dose 22: The Economy

The Economy by Rick White, 180BIZ

Today, I want to talk about the economy. I don't believe the economy is an external thing. I want to change that from the economy to your economy. Your economy occupies about six inches of real estate, you know, that space between your ears. That is your economy. There's a whole bunch of people in this country right now that have seen our economy change. It is dynamically different than it's been before. I see this like a door closing the way things were. This is your tip for the day. I'm not giving you a tip at the end. This is the tip. There are too many people staring at the closed door waiting for it to open again. You can't do that. When you stare at the closed door, you're the victim. When you stare at the door, you're waiting for things to go back to the way it was before. It isn't going to happen.

Could we have a resurgence in our economy? Yes, I believe we will. I believe it's going to be quicker than the others. I listened to one lady say that it was going to be the 80% economy and blah, blah, blah. Don't listen to that stuff. They told us all that stuff in 2008 when we went through the recession.  They said that people's buying habits were going to change and nothing's going to be the same. It's going to be a totally different landscape. And you know something? You got through it, you made it through. You're going to make it through this too. 

I truly believe that there is a virus more deadly than the Coronavirus right now. And please understand, I am in no way downplaying the seriousness of this virus.  I am not downplaying what people are going through and the families that are dealing with it. My heart and my prayers go out to them. But I'm going to tell you the biggest virus that is going around right now is a mind virus. It's listening to nonstop news. Why? Because you're waiting for some resemblance of hope. It's like watching a car accident. You want to turn away, but you can't. You need to watch it. There are a few things you need to do to create your own economy.

1. Guard Your Mind. Whatever comes in through your eyes and in through your ears tends to come out your mouth and out in your actions. So, if you're sitting there waiting for that door to open, you're not going to act.  If you're sitting there listening to the latest number of confirmed cases and the number of deaths and where the next hotspots are, you're not moving. You're not creating your reality. You're letting somebody else shape it. So, the first thing you must do is protect your mind.
2. Feed Your Mind. Why do you think do this every day, seven days a week? It’s because I want to give you some vitamins. I want to feed your mind. I want to help you to stop seeing problems and start seeing potential. See that the landscape has changed, and you need to change with it.  Your economy is out there. Brenda and I started watching a show called Self Made with Octavia Spencer.  It's amazing. It's about Madam CJ Walker and what she went through to create her company. It’s absolutely amazing. The very first episode shows how she went out and did what she had to do to get business. She went out and did things that were uncomfortable for her. She handed out flyers. She stood in flea markets and farmer's markets and she got people to listen to her.
   
   We must stop thinking and waiting for business to go back to the way it was. It could be a while. Don’t push forward like you were before, but don’t retreat.  You need to PIVOT. Feed your mind with the right stuff in the morning. If you're a spiritual person, you feed it with the Bible. You feed it with promises. God says he will never forsake us. He is always with us. We are on the Potter's wheel right now, that this is something that is going to shape us. This is something that is meant to refine us, not define us. This is something that's supposed to push us forward, not keep us back.  You have a choice. You can listen to what I'm saying and in six months or a year from now say, “I'm glad I did.” Or you could be saying, “I wish I had.” Which camp are you going to be in?
3. Grow Your Audience. You have to build confidence and safety right now. The safety of your customer, confidence in your ability, caring, and competency. Build your audience. I see a lot of shops tapping their existing customers which is great, but at some point, the fruit is going to be gone from that tree. You need to build your audience right now. Get out there and be the bright light.  Why? Because if you're the bright light right now, you’re going to attract people to you. You're going to bring them in. They're going to want that hope and future belief that you have because there are afraid. They're scared. You need to be that voice in your community and you need to step up and step out. Keeping a social distance, of course.
   
   I'm getting emails and Facebook messages from shops right now saying, “I'm doing better than I ever have.”  We create our economy. The difference is we adapt to a new environment, a new landscape. Don't hunker down and wait for it to get better. There were a lot of shops who did that in 2007 and 2008.  I have to say, they're working for somebody else right now. You be the change you need in your environment. You go out there, you change your message, you change your audience, and you get in front of new people and you start to attract new people. This is why I'm starting a new group up right now is because we need to push forward, but not in the same way. We've got to be able to PIVOT. 

So this is my tip. It is not about the economy. It is about your economy. Go out and create it. I believe in you. Let's make it happen. If you need some help, reach out to me. I'm here for you.

God bless and have a great day.