Entrepreneurs should keep calm and carry on until the election
It’s a funny juxtaposition that the quintessential British expression “Keep calm and carry on” is married with an event that will take place on the day Americans celebrate independence from the old Empire. Despite the humour, it’s a serious matter for entrepreneurs, who must keep calm and carry on.
Since Rishi Sunak stood in the pouring rain behind the lectern outside 10 Downing Street on 22 May the media has come alive with news, analysis, fact checking, polling, televised debates and everything else that is associated with a general election. It’s been 4½ years since the last one, and if the polls are to be believed, big change is afoot. It’s an exciting time if you’re in the world of politics. It’s a time when a lot of people get sucked into the hype.
For entrepreneurs, however, my advice is not to get caught up in everything election related. Rather, it is a case of keep calm and carry on. I’ll share three reasons why: the best way to grow your business is to stay focused on your business; play the long game; and the media circus will carry on with or without you.
Let’s address these in a little more detail.
There are too many distractions, and many entrepreneurs get excited by “the shiny new thing over there” but the best thing you can do for your business is to stay focused on it. Pay attention to your customers, as they are what sustains your business. Pay attention to your sales funnel, as new customers help you to grow. Pay attention to your product or service delivery, as keeping your customers satisfied is critical for the success of your business. Pay attention to the money flowing in and out of your business, because this is how you keep it going. Pay attention to people. You have responsibilities to them: customers, staff and suppliers. Keeping them happy and coming back is the most important thing you can do. The best way to grow your business is to stay focused on your business. Not the polls or the debates. Your business.
Most entrepreneurs have a big vision of what they want to achieve, and it’s important to stay focused on that big vision. I’m a fan of Warren Buffett, and I love this quotation of his: “I never attempt to make money on the stock market. I buy on the assumption that they could close the market the next day and not reopen it for five years.” It’s the same thing with elections. They come around once every five years, and in the context of your business, it really doesn’t matter. You must stay focused on the long game, on achieving the vision you set when you started your business. There will be other distractions, other bumps in the road along this journey. Treat the election as just another one of those distraction or bumps. Adapt as necessary, but don’t let it distract you from playing the long game.
The political media circus is in full swing, and it will stay that way until the 4th of July, when the circus stops, and the real action happens. When people cast their votes. That is the only time it counts. Everything else until then is just part of the circus. Until election day, whether you choose to participate in the circus or not, it’s going to carry on. Many people will get caught up in the hype. The media is good at doing that, and it will continue to do that whether you choose to participate or not. The great thing is that you have a choice. Choose your business rather than getting caught up in the hype. It will all be over in a few weeks’ time.
Three reasons why you should keep calm and carry on until the election. You’re much better off staying focused on your business. Your business will benefit from you playing the long game. Finally, the media circus will continue whether you choose to participate or not.
Think back for a moment to when you started your company. You spotted a problem, a gap in the market. You came up with a solution the world needs. You have customers and employees whose lives are better off because of what you and your business do. That’s entrepreneurship. Ignore the hype. Keep calm and carry on.
David B Horne is the founder of Add Then Multiply, Funding Focus & bestselling author of the award-winning Add Then Multiply and bestseller Funded Female Founders.
