Mardi Gras has come and gone. There was lots of celebrating leading up to Fat Tuesday, followed by what many call “Trash Wednesday” (which is actually “Ash Wednesday”), the inevitable and much dreaded “day after.”
While Mardi Gras is popularly depicted as a time for parades, balls, and widespread partying, at its roots, Mardi Gras is based in religion, specifically the celebratory period leading to the Christian season of Lent, which is a time of sacrifice.
So it was in this vein I got to thinking the other day about how Mardi Gras closely resembles our current economic cycle. (I know, I know, it’s heady stuff coming from a King Monkey, but bear with me.)
If we think of the 1990s as our economic Mardi Gras, culminating with Fat Tuesday, then this decade (especially in recent years) represents “the day after” and the season of sacrifice to follow.
What have you had to sacrifice to keep your business afloat? How does the reality of today’s economy resemble the “good old days”? How is it different for you, personally and professionally?
I thoroughly believe the world needs more people who are willing to help one another out during tough times. My hope is that if I give 80% of the time, that 20% will come back to me.
For you new entrepreneurs, still wet behind the ears, who have never experienced a roaring economy, how have you managed to survive and thrive in times of scarcity?
Let us know. We monkeys like to share ideas!
