Recession Culture Positives?

Recession-proof. I have a blog called The Recession-Proof Trainer. I like the expression because it gets attention and makes one think! But the phrase clearly means a lot of different things to different people.

But no matter what, "recession-proof" never means you are immune to the recession. We all feel the impact.

Some experience the negative impact: job loss, reduced income, fear, anxiety/insecurity, loss of esteem, loss of home or retirement. Some may not, yet all feel the impact.

To me, “recession-proof” means to (1) take whatever actions you can to minimize the negative consequences of a recession, and (2) take advantage of the positive aspects of the recession. Huh? What positive aspects of the recession?

Jennifer Senior, writing about this in an article published in New York Magazine this month (May 09) explains how pervasive the influence of any economy is on culture. But her focus is an examination of the prevailing recession culture. She does not minimize the pain that many have experienced due to layoffs and home foreclosures, nor does she lack empathy for the many who have had a difficult time. I emphasize that because I am going to cherry-pick from her observations about the recession which actually fall onto the positive side of the ledger; in doing so, you might mistakenly think that her article missed some of the stark realities. It doesn't; I thought it was an excellent and thought-provoking analysis.

Volunteerism is booming. While it’s true that there is a decrease in financial donations, people are putting in more man-hours. She cites a number of statistics like: The Big Brother Big Sister programs have doubled their volunteers. Wheels on meals in NYC had a 32% increase in volunteers comparing Q1 in 2008 and 2009. Such trends may be related to the idea that calamity creates a more neighborly, civic-minded people. Kind of like the way a blizzard in my part of the world gets us all better acquainted with people on our street that we've never met.

Beyond the benefits for others, volunteering can be a great way to learn new skills, bolster a resume, enlarge your network, and otherwise bridge the way to a new job. Matt LeBlanc had a great blog post on using the Fred Rogers approach to a new job.

For some, deals -and opportunities- abound. With the decrease in housing values has been a rise in opportunities to rent or buy housing that did not exist in the recent past. Not only does this allow some to improve their living space, but also to afford a business investment that requires a storefront or office space.

A shift from “stuff” to “experiences.” People are spending less on “things” either because they don’t have the money or because the are afraid they might lose their job. Instead, there is a tendency to spending on experiences (museum visits are up, family time is up, volunteerism is up, etc) and as Senior states, “the reemerging value of material restraint may be yet another silver lining to this downturn.” Why? According to psychologist Barry Schwartz (The Paradox of Choice): “There’s good evidence people get more pleasure from experiences than possessions. So constraining people materially might make them more satisfied with their lives.”

The Great Depression may have produced a lot of table games, and it wouldn’t be a bad thing if this were true today, although I have no stats on it. My wife and I enjoy a table games like Carcassonne or card games like Quiddler every day. In addition, while I know that the travel industry has been hard hit, I am glad for the reduction in the costs of travel; my wife and I enjoy travel experiences quite a bit!

There are two lessons here. One is "spiritual" - it's about looking to the abundance around you to encourage you: family experiences, natural beauty where you can find it, friendships, and simple pleasures. The other lesson is more practical: if people are turning more naturally to experiences, does that suggest to you where there may be opportunities?

We are forced to look for opportunities in different areas. In New York City’s recession culture, that Jennifer Senior describes, people have been forced to accept that Wall Street isn’t the only street. The city government is promoting, among other things, biotech. Economic diversity is good for cities. In a similar way, I'd say that individuals in a recession are pushed to look at how their skills might apply in new ways to earning an income. How one's skills might apply to a totally different job, or how they might be used to create one's own business.

Recently, the Start Up Nation web site completed the 2009 competition to identify the top 200 leading moms in business. I found it inspiring to read the stories of innovation and stories of women who used existing or newly-learned skills to create totally new businesses. Some built businesses on hobbies, others discovered unexploited niches, while others were moved by a mission.

At one point in my past, I leveraged my teaching and administration skills to obtain a job as a high tech equipment supplier training manager. Later, I leveraged that experience to create my own consulting and training seminar business. I have also leveraged that experience and a background in network marketing to initiate a home business coaching consultancy. I love the equipment training business, but the semiconductor equipment industry is in a slump. And so I also work on my other businesses.

I have heard from several colleagues in the past week who have lost their high tech training jobs. And the economy continues to raise fears in baby boomers. So keeping one’s eye on “the positives” may be one way to deal with the hard choices in recession-proofing. This is not about looking at reality with rose-colored glasses. It's about looking at reality more deeply to see what your opportunities are.

Thinking about starting your own business? Building a home-based business?

Perhaps the resources at RG Consulting Partners will be helpful. - Richard Goutal, Hub Page author.