Control
Much has been said in the past couple weeks in mainstream media, new media, and the blogosphere related to the current economic issues and how they affect startups and entrepreneurs. (check sites like TechCrunch, BusinessWeek, VentureBeat, etc. for summaries and coverage.) Entrepreneurs, investors, VCs, commentators are all weighing in. There’s a lot of doom and gloom out there right now.
But we’re a “glass half-full” group of people, or we wouldn’t try to do solve the up-hill problems that we do. It’s sort of in our DNA. So of course we’re all going to look around and say, “Recession you say? Sweet, that’s going to help my problem/opportunity because of X and Y and Z. I’m excited.” And the reality is that a lot of us will not be helped by macro level dynamics we don’t control, and very well might see our ventures fail because of macro level environmental factors we don’t control, but for damn sure, we won’t let that stop us or discourage us or get us unmotivated or scared. We’ll spin it around in our heads and in good times and bad times and worse times we’ll all find a way to be positive no matter what the prognosis is. It’s what we do. It’s why you can find examples of great and outstanding entrepreneurs and their success arising from good times and bad times and worse times: we’re too blinded to not try, and some # of us will always find success.
So here’s my thought: it all comes down to control. That’s where the rubber hits the road with all this commentary/discussion. Entrepreneurs control many things. Entrepreneurs don’t control most things. Be positive no matter the macro climate (most of us do this in our sleep). And worry/work on what you can control. All the talk about what will or won’t or might happen to startups and entrepreneurs and the startup environment is O.K., but in the end, any advice being dispensed should probably be the same today as it was a year ago as it was in 2000 or really as it has been anytime: be smart, get to work, excel at the things that you can do and have control over, build true value, solve real problems, and have fun.
I’ll go now since I have a crapload of things on my plate right now that need to get done and that I control completely. 
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Russ
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Allan
