The world today is changing faster than ever. You and I both know this all too well in every respect, especially in the world of entrepreneurship. Industries are being disrupted over night. Business models are evolving rapidly. Entire nations are being challenged to the core on how they react and respond to the surprises of this world. Change is thick in the air, and you would be a fool to expect for tomorrow to be like today, let alone yesterday.
This means that entrepreneurs and investors alike need to step up their game and adapt to the new world that is developing right in front of our eyes. We simply cannot rest on our laurels and hope that the best will come or that the devastating impacts of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic will simply vanish as if it were some miracle. It won’t. And it is up to the current crop of leaders, both in business, government, and across institutions to stand up for what is right and innovate like never before. Why? Because our lives depend on it.
Now, more than ever, we need entrepreneurs and investors to care about building businesses that make meaningful impacts and contributions to the world altogether, and not just their bottom line. Gone are the days when making a quick buck was enough of a “goal” to build another “successful” business. Gone are the days when simply driving shareholder “value” was enough reason to exist as a corporation. Gone are the days when selling more “STUFF” was just fine so as long as you were always maximizing sales. Those days are gone, plain and simple. Such modus operandi is unsustainable for the future.
History will one day regard COVID-19 as one of the most defining events of the twenty-first century, on par with 9/11, the War on Terrorism, the Financial Crash & Great Recession of 2008, and more. How we adapt to the new onslaught of challenges and opportunities brought forth by the pandemic will ultimately determine how we end up surviving and thriving into the long term. It will define how we age far beyond our retirement as well as how our children, their children, and all the future generations will live in this world.
Today is different than yesterday, and I assure you that tomorrow will be unrecognizable. And tomorrow is coming much faster than you expect. This is why it’s important that you think critically of how your contribution, be it as an entrepreneur or investor, will make a meaningful impact in our world today, tomorrow, and far into the future.