Don't Waste A Good Recession

Welcome back, to the first episode in the 2026 Season of "Don't Waste a Good Recession". The global economy is entering a downturn phase, shifting from euphoria to anxiety. This creates critical risks for small and medium businesses – and more importantly, moves us all closer to the Point of Maximum Financial Opportunity. Yes, Maximum Opportunity. More marketshare is created in a downturn than at any other point in the economic cycle, and how you respond now will determine the success (or otherwise) of your business in the coming years. Businesses respond to a Recession in one of three ways: they Dive, Survive, or Thrive. The difference is their emotional and investment management. Dive businesses ignore or suppress emotions, leading to inaction and failure. Survive businesses react impulsively to feelings, leading to inconsistent decisions. Thrive businesses acknowledge emotions without being controlled, enabling strategic choices. Ongoing, deliberate investment decisions differentiate thriving businesses from others. What are you choosing in 2026?

Love your business? Remember to Like and Subscribe to "Don't Waste a Good Recession".Gain business clarity, courageous leadership, and lifestyle rhythm with international business advisor Jacob Aldridge. This is episode 24 in our series - thanks for watching and all the feedback.Great news! For the first time in our series, going back to March 2020, the number of Active Cases globally has declined! It's part of a wider trend that suggests the Execution and Profit Phases of the Recession are almost upon us.How confident can you be in the leading economic indicators?What does this progress mean you need to do for your business?And have you Liked and Shared this video with your business community?Other videos discussed this month:Last Month's Snapshot and Forecast - https://youtu.be/YlwetG9D-XsIs the Recession Over? - https://youtu.be/M9hoFSp2tygAre you Living in the Old Paradigm? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53jKW...Yes, I was preparing my clients for this Recession at the end of 2018 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBUPl...Why Inflation will kick in soon, and how Governments and Rich People benefit - https://youtu.be/OSG_qiIo-3s

Love your business? Remember to Like and Subscribe to "Don't Waste a Good Recession".Make better, proactive business decisions with international business advisor Jacob Aldridge. This is episode 23 in our series - thanks for watching and all the feedback.What do the January economic fundamentals mean for your February 2021 (and beyond) business success?Increasingly, the answer now depends on whether you are in the UK or not. For my friends and viewers inside the UK, you are unfortunately experiencing the Brexit Recession immediately following the Coronavirus Recession - make sure you go 'Back to Basics' with our Core Content Playlist - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuU0n....Learn more about the new economic fundamentals, and the key business benchmark indicators here - https://youtu.be/vmlVkASk3-UReview "When will the Coronavirus Recession End" indicators from last month - https://youtu.be/M9hoFSp2tyg

Love your business? Remember to Like and Subscribe to "Don't Waste a Good Recession".Make better, proactive business decisions with international business advisor Jacob Aldridge. This is episode 22 in our series - thanks for watching and all the feedback.What do the December economic fundamentals mean for your January 2021 business success?Learn more about the new economic fundamentals, and the key business benchmark indicators here - https://youtu.be/vmlVkASk3-UReview "When will the Coronavirus Recession End" indicators from last month - https://youtu.be/M9hoFSp2tyg

Love your business? Remember to Like and Subscribe to "Don't Waste a Good Recession".Since the world changed in March 2020, our Economic Snapshot has been designed to help you make better business decisions. What do the November economic fundamentals mean for your December business success?What are the 3 indicators that a Recession has ended? And how are they looking in countries like the USA, UK, and Australia?What are the 4 Transformations that a Recession forces on every small and medium sized business? Do you have the strategy in place to benefit from those changes?Learn more about the new economic fundamentals, and the key business benchmark indicators here - https://youtu.be/vmlVkASk3-U

Love your business? Remember to Like and Subscribe to "Don't Waste a Good Recession" - or head to JacobAldridge.com to receive every update to your inbox.Since the world changed in March 2020, our Economic Snapshot has been designed to help you make better business decisions. Back then, we talked about 3 outcomes for privately-owned businesses: Dive, Survive, or Thrive. Six months later ... how is your business going?In this video, we talk about the Lead and Lag Indicators of the Economy, and how they will impact your business in October.We then dive deeper into Dive/Survive/Thrive ... by exploring the triad of Fragile/Robust/Anti-Fragile as developed by Nassim Nicholas Taleb.We've all seen some Fragile businesses in 2020. How do you build a truly Anti-Fragile business that benefits from Volatility?Stay in relationship with us by Subscribing today.Learn more about the new economic fundamentals, and the key business benchmark indicators here - https://youtu.be/vmlVkASk3-U

Love your business? Remember to Like and Subscribe to "Don't Waste a Good Recession" - or head to JacobAldridge.com to receive every update to your inbox.Since the world changed in March 2020, our Economic Snapshot has been designed to help you make better business decisions. We are all in stormy seas, but some of us arrived in leaky canoes and are trying to fix the boat alone - we will only thrive in this Recession if we do it together.Increasingly, it's becoming clear that the Coronavirus Recession RECOVERY is splintering. This Two-Track Recovery means that some business owners will continue to grow, profit, and benefit ... while many others face long-term woes.Which track are you choosing for your family?Learn more about the new economic fundamentals, and the key business benchmark indicators here - https://youtu.be/vmlVkASk3-U

Welcome to "Don't Waste a Good Recession", a group with positive and practical advice for businesses from 2 to 500 staff. If you want tangible advice you can execute now, not just more waffle, be sure to Subscribe to my podcast channel and join our Facebook discussion group. In the first of our regular pandemic recession reality videos, hosted by international business advisor Jacob Aldridge:Welcome 00:00Meditation 01:30Why this Group? Who is Jacob? 08:55Economic Snapshot 20:35The Economic Clock 21:58How to Respond THIS week 28:45Coronavirus Policy Template 32:30Work From Home Plan 38:25Team Communication Strategy 43:35SME Cash Flow Forecast 47:42Your Self Care Plan 1:02:10Next Steps & Downloads 1:06:40 Download the Slides, Guide, Checklists, Coronavirus Policy Template, and links to experts at https://jacobaldridge.com/good-recess... Join our discussion group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/GoodR... Watch on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kUbFkyhBm4 

Love your business? Remember to Like and Subscribe to "Don't Waste a Good Recession" - or head to JacobAldridge.com to receive every update to your inbox.Since the world changed in March 2020, our Economic Snapshot has been designed to help you make better business decisions. What do the October economic fundamentals portend for your November business success?And after 20 episodes, what have we predicted so far in 2020 that has come true - for the benefit of those who watch every episode?Learn more about the new economic fundamentals, and the key business benchmark indicators here - https://youtu.be/vmlVkASk3-U

Love your business? Remember to Like and Subscribe to "Don't Waste a Good Recession" - or head to JacobAldridge.com to receive every update to your inbox.Since the world changed in March 2020, our Economic Snapshot has been designed to help you make better business decisions. We are all in stormy seas, but some of us arrived in leaky canoes and are trying to fix the boat alone - we will only thrive in this Recession if we do it together.Learn more about the new economic fundamentals, and the key business benchmark indicators here - https://youtu.be/vmlVkASk3-UIn this Snapshot:- Welcome 00:00- Coronavirus LIVE Cases, Deaths, Change since Last Month 02:21- Stockmarket Levels for FTSE, Dow Jones, ASX 200 and comparisons to the Peak and Previous Recession Low 16:19- Unemployment Rates and comparisons to Last Month and 5 Year Low 18:24- GDP Growth and comparison to previous two quarters 25:20- A Recession Update - where are we emotionally, typically, and specifically in this L-Shaped Recession? 29:42IMPORTANTLY, every section includes a discussion of "SO WHAT?!" - so what can you do with this information to improve your business?Join our next Live event in our free Facebook group at www.facebook.com/groups/GoodRecessionWelcome to "Don't Waste a Good Recession", a group with positive and practical advice for businesses from 2 to 500 staff.If you want tangible advice you can execute now, not just more waffle, be sure to 'Like' this video and Subscribe to my channel.

Thank you for Liking, Subscribing, and Sharing! Every click helps me to prepare more case studies and practical guidance for businesses with 2-500 employees.How do you feel when a great team member quits? Angry? Sad? Scared? All of the Above?!In this Case Study meet Ethan, founder and 100% Shareholder a professional services business in London, UK, during the Great Recession. He felt all of those things as well, and he found when the Recession hit that even more of his best team members were preparing to leave.Not because they didn't like him. Not because they wanted to make more money elsewhere. All because those top performers dreamed of one day owning their own business.Like most small and medium sized business owners, Ethan had Control fears. He had no desire to ever let any of his team take Equity in his business, and risk them taking control away from him.The Accountant said "Pay them more money to stay". A dumb (and expensive) mistake.The Lawyer said "Enforce their Employment Contracts, and march them out the door". Not a good way to win friends and influence people.My team agreed with Ethan - if he wanted to retain 100% of his business, he could. We also agreed with his best team members - if they wanted to run their own business, that was fantastic too!So we found a different solution - one that even the accountants and lawyers were happy with.Enjoy this Case Study podcast, then Subscribe for more here and delivery to your inbox at www.JacobAldridge.com

Since the world changed in March 2020, our Economic Snapshot has been designed to help you make better business decisions. As the Coronavirus Recession evolves, we are changing these updates from Weekly to Monthly - more signal, less noise, and more time for our channel to support and guide on other aspects of your business.In this week's Episode, we start with our weekly Economic Snapshot (05:33 minutes) reviewing Active COVID-19 Cases, Sharemarket movements, New US Unemployment Data, and Updated UK GDP figures for the March Quarter.THEN we dive into a deeper exploration of Economic Indicators and how they can help your small or medium business.See the list below for ALL the Economic Indicators we researched, and then back-tested against four actual businesses going through the Coronavirus Recession with you.Which ones did we find were helpful? Not nearly as many as you might think. It turns out the nightly news (and yes, even Don't Waste a Good Recession's weekly snapshots) are nowhere near as helpful as the Lead Indicators, Current Indicators, and Lag Indicators that are tailored to your country, your industry, and are actually created from your business.So see below as well for the fundamental business benchmark indicators I recommend every business owner begin tracking - to help improve communication, and make better business decisions in the only moment that truly matters, the present point of power.So our Podcast (please Like and Subscribe) will shift from Weekly to Monthly Economic Snapshots. Allowing our Weekly episodes to dive deeper on other aspects of your business that really matter (and which my IRL clients are benefiting from right now).Coronavirus Recession Economic Indicators we ReviewedLEAD INDICATORS* COVID-19 New Cases* Leading Economic Index* Stock Markets* Bond Yield Curve (2 yr v 10 yr)* Oxford Lockdown Index* German Ifo* Manufacturing PMI* China Manufacturing PMI* Brazil ExportsCURRENT INDICATORS* COVID-19 Active Cases* Consumer Confidence* Business Confidence* Google Trends (Recovery v Recession)* Policy Uncertainty Index* VIX Uncertainty* Johnson Redbook Index Same Store Sales* Open Table Restaurant BookingsLAG INDICATORS* Unemployment Rates* Underemployment / Underutilization* Total GDP* Quarterly GDP Growth* South Korea ExportsBenchmark Business Indicators for SMEs during the Coronavirus RecessionLEAD INDICATORS* Enquiries* Sales Opportunities* Pipeline Value* Quick Ratio* Cash on Hand / At Bank* Conversion Rate %* Churn Rate %* Any of the above by Business Unit / Department / Product / TeamCURRENT INDICATORS* Work in Progress (WIP)* Daily Billings $* Revenue Change % * Gross Profit Margin %* Debtors $* Debtor Days* Inventory $LAG INDICATORSYour usual Monthly Management Financials:* Revenue* Margin* Valuation* Break Even* Cash Flow* Balance Sheet* Changes to P&L* Changes to Balance SheetFor more information, visit www.JacobAldridge.com

Thank you for Liking, Subscribing, and Sharing! Every download helps me to prepare more case studies and practical guidance for businesses with 2-500 employees.You may not want to build a Trillion Dollar company like Apple - but that doesn't mean you can't learn about business growth during a recession from Steve "Reality Distortion Field" Jobs.Steve Jobs’s history with Apple is well known, but I want to focus on a very specific period. Not the mid-1980s when Jobs entered into a power battle and was sacked by his own company; and not the mid-2000s and beyond when the iPhone made Apple the first $1 Trillion dollar company in the world.Let’s talk about the dot com bubble bursting, which coincided with Apple bringing Jobs back as CEO after the company almost collapsed several times during the 1990s. Jobs was initially the “interim CEO”; he dropped the “interim” and got serious in January of 2001.What had changed was the bursting of the Dot Com bubble in the year 2000. You may recall. At the turn of the millennium there was a genuine belief that, maybe, the internet meant companies didn’t actually need to be profitable to be valuable. Cold reality kicked in a few months later, as interest rates rose, several large mergers failed to eventuate, and the Microsoft Anti-Trust ruling was handed down holding tech companies to the same rules as the rest of us.The NASDAQ tech index lost 78% of its value, including 25% in a single week during April 2000. People who say the Coronavirus Recession is unprecedented just have short memories.So what did Jobs do, to take a company that was struggling even during the boom and help it buck the trend? Well, he bucked the trend.In May 2001, only a Quarter after taking on the official CEO role, Jobs announced the launch of the Apple Store. To stop Apple being poorly presented and undersold by third parties, he was taking back the retail channel to market directly. That’s like Kellogg’s Cornflakes deciding to take up cold calling at breakfast time.Then in October 2001, after the events of September 11 sent the whole US economy into a Recession, Jobs launched the product that changed everything: the iPod. ““No wireless. Less [storage] space than a Nomad. Lame,” said Rob “CmdrTaco” Malda on Slashdot in a scathing review.What Cmdr Taco and others failed to realise was that the iPod wasn’t created to be Apple’s hero product. It was designed to be small – by the standards of the day – and a cost-effective way of putting the Apple brand into more homes … and more pockets.It was also cool, which helped with profit margins. Year on Year sales for Apple almost doubled; Profits were up almost 600%!You can’t buy a Classic iPod today. Or some of the variants that followed, like the iPod Mini, Nano, and Shuffle. All discontinued. Apple Computers missed the best of the Dot Com Bubble, but with Steve Jobs they had a head start on the Dot Com Bust and the national recession that followed. By thinking long term, they were able to launch a gateway product that saved the company and planted a seed for today, with iPhones, MacBooks, and more. In 1998, less than 1% of Americans bought an Apple product. By 2012, 50% of all Americans owned an Apple product – in fact, an average of 1.6 products. By 2017, that had grown even further, two-thirds of Americans and an average of 2.6 Apple products each.Don’t Waste a Good Recession!

Remember to Like and Subscribe to help my business and yours!This Weekly Economic Snapshot is designed to help you make better business decisions.- Coronavirus LIVE Cases, Deaths, Change since Last Week- Stockmarket Levels for FTSE, Dow Jones, ASX 200 and comparisons to the Peak and Previous Recession Low- NEW Unemployment Rates and comparisons to Last Month and 5 Year Low- UPDATED GDP Growth and comparison to previous two quartersJoin our next Live event in our free Facebook group at www.facebook.com/groups/GoodRecessionWelcome to "Don't Waste a Good Recession", a group with positive and practical advice for businesses from 2 to 500 staff.If you want tangible advice you can execute now, not just more waffle, be sure to 'Like' this video and Subscribe to my channel.

If you Like this episode, tell your friends - then Subscribe and Share for more! Every download helps me to prepare more case studies and practical guidance for businesses with 2-500 employees.This is "Don't Waste A Good Recession" Case Study #3 - Ruth Wakefield and the Toll House Inn.In 1938, restaurant owner Ruth Wakefield and her husband Kenneth faced a challenge. You might remember the 1930s as ‘The Great Depression’, and bad as the first Recession was after the 1929 stock market crash, in many ways the second Recession during 1937-38 was even worse.Ruth was a college educated dietician, and in 1930 she bought and became the chef at the Toll House Inn and restaurant in Whitman, Massachusetts. The Toll House was named after the town, where travellers between Boston and the whaling city of New Bedford were once required to stop and pay a toll. It was a white Cape Cod style building that resembled a home which had overgrown, jutting out wings that housed the guest lodgings, kitchen and the dining area. The Great Depression was not a great time to be in the restaurant business, especially one famous for its lobster dinners and fine desserts. At heart though Ruth had the entrepreneurial spirit – creativity in the kitchen, and in her business. The restaurant business was what it was; but that didn’t mean there weren’t other opportunities.If you’ve ever wondered who invented the meat pie, or the hot dog, or banana bread – you may be surprised to discover that we know exactly who invented another food we take for granted: the choc-chip cookie.It was Ruth Wakefield. Some stories say it was an accident, because God-forbid a female entrepreneur be allowed any credit. Ruth herself said it was quite deliberate.So what did the Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie give to Ruth and her business? A new product – one that could be sold individually, and at a low price. A product that could be transported – you didn’t have to eat it in her restaurant, and it would go on to become one of the favourite gifts sent to US Servicemen during World War Two.And it wasn’t complicated. Ruth wrote a recipe book, which included the steps for how to make a Toll House Cookie at home. So delicious was the cookie, and so easily could it be made, Ruth was invited to be a guest on Betty Crocker’s nationally syndicated radio show.In 1930, Ruth owned one business, an inn with an inhouse restaurant. By 1939, she had four: the inn, the restaurant which was open to the public, the cookbook, and the commercially produced take-away cookies. Cleverley – again, no accident – all four of them were unified under the Toll House Brand, and even today a “Toll House Cookie” in the US is a generic name for chocolate-chip.Ruth sold the recipe, along with the Toll House Cookie brand, to Nestle in 1939. And her recipe still appears on their bags of chocolate chips.In a time when restaurants were closing, a Recession when they had no other choice, Ruth created a new product, she opened a whole new market that was much, much larger, and she thrived.Ruth Wakefield eventually printed 39 editions of her cookbook, and sold the Toll House Inn in 1966. She died, leaving an innovate cooking and business legacy, in January 1977.What's the low cost or scalable product/service that your existing customers want to buy? How could you use the Coronavirus Recession to expand your product line and grow your Brand?

Remember to Like and Subscribe to help my business and yours!The sad passing of Dame Vera Lynn this week reminded me of Dr Strangelove's final moments, and the clashed juxtaposition of world ending war and the uplifting song starts our episode for this week.This Weekly Economic Snapshot is designed to help you make better business decisions.- Coronavirus LIVE Cases, Deaths, Change since Last Week- Stockmarket Levels for FTSE, Dow Jones, ASX 200 and comparisons to the Peak and Previous Recession Low- NEW Unemployment Rates and comparisons to Last Month and 5 Year Low- GDP Growth and comparison to previous two quartersFor a small to medium sized business channel, why do we care so much about what the stock markets are doing? First, it’s a lead indicator of the wider economy – market crashed in March, your business took a hit in April; markets bounced back in April and May, your business is doing better in May and June. Second, it has an oversized impact on sentiment – business, consumer, and most importantly perhaps government. President Trump is already talking up the economy having rebounded, based on the markets – if they keep climbing, stimulus packages may end sooner, and that could have a negative effect on you and your customersEvery Recession is Different. Perhaps this time, Fiscal Policy – aka, Government Stimulus and Intervention – will pump up the economy for 18 months.In just the past 2 weeks, I’ve had 1-on-1 conversations with more than 20 business owners – and every single one of them is reporting sentiment that this will go south in September / October when government programs end.The good news is – if everyone things it’s the case, it probably won’t happen.The bad news – that could mean governments creating more debt to keep things pumping; or it could mean it goes sooner.Remember – nobody wants to be the first domino in case they’re too early; but everyone wants to be the second domino.I can’t tell you the exact trigger – but when the party ends, expect to see another 1000 or even 2000 point down day drop on the Dow Jones.On the markets, you might still end up ahead of where you were 3 months or 12 months ago.On the business front, you absolutely can make sure you’re ahead.Join our next Live event in our free Facebook group at www.facebook.com/groups/GoodRecessionWelcome to "Don't Waste a Good Recession", a group with positive and practical advice for businesses from 2 to 500 staff.If you want tangible advice you can execute now, not just more waffle, be sure to 'Like' this video and Subscribe to my channel.

Thank you for Liking, Subscribing, and Sharing! Every download helps me to prepare more case studies and practical guidance for businesses with 2-500 employees.This is "Don't Waste A Good Recession" Case Study #2 - a High Street retailer I personally coached in London during the Great Recession / Global Financial Crisis.My team ran our usual strategic planning over the organisation:- Capacity Planning via the Capacity Engine- A Full RNR Project - Sales Training but the most obvious benefit came from reviewing their pricing - and reintroducing a Product that they never sold.Find out how this benefited the business, and learn more about Anchor Pricing and the research that supported our strategy.If you enjoy talking about Pricing, you'll love my other videos on the topic - check the Don't Waste a Good Recession YouTube channel for more!

Remember to Like and Subscribe to help my business and yours!This Weekly Economic Snapshot is designed to help you make better business decisions.- Coronavirus LIVE Cases, Deaths, Change since Last Week- Stockmarket Levels for FTSE, Dow Jones, ASX 200 and comparisons to the Peak and Previous Recession Low- NEW Unemployment Rates and comparisons to Last Month and 5 Year Low- GDP Growth and comparison to previous two quartersAre the green shoots of recovery premature? Lockdown restrictions are beginning to ease, even though Active COVID-19 Cases remains at record highs in countries like the UK and USA.Stockmarkets in the US approached the pre-Pandemic highs ... before dropping sharply at the end of this week. And while US Unemployment numbers were down for the month of May 2020, new jobless claims were still 3 times higher than the pre-2020 record.Join our next Live event in our free Facebook group at www.facebook.com/groups/GoodRecessionWelcome to "Don't Waste a Good Recession", a group with positive and practical advice for businesses from 2 to 500 staff.If you want tangible advice you can execute now, not just more waffle, be sure to 'Like' this video and Subscribe to my channel.

Thank you for Liking, Subscribing, and Sharing! Every download helps me to prepare more case studies and practical guidance for businesses with 2-500 employees.This is "Don't Waste A Good Recession" Case Study #1 - a professional services firm I personally coached in London during the Great Recession / Global Financial Crisis.After years of steady growth, the 2008/09 Recession saw their revenue drop from £3 million pa to £2 million pa ... and worse still, it stagnated there for almost two years.The solutions they were trying weren't working, so in early 2011 with the second of the double-dip recessions on the horizon the new CEO called me in to help.I recommended 3 strategic priorities, helped design the strategy with their senior team, and then coached the business across the UK to implement all three.As a result, when the projects completed in late 2012 the business had doubled to £4 million and could see the ongoing return on their investment in business advisory services.Could you do the same?

The first Australian Recession in 30 years is now official - according to the Australian Government at least!This Weekly Economic Snapshot is designed to help you make better business decisions. If it helps, make sure you Like and Subscribe for every update.- Coronavirus LIVE Cases, Deaths, Change since Last Week- Stockmarket Levels for FTSE, Dow Jones, ASX 200 and comparisons to the Peak and Previous Recession Low- Unemployment Rates and comparisons to Last Month and 5 Year Low- NEW GDP Growth and comparison to previous two quartersIs this "The Recession we had to have?" No, in the sense that modern Fiscal Policy can make Technical Recessions avoidable ... but Yes, in the general sense of an economic downturn, this one was inevitable. What are you doing in your business to benefit?Join our next Live event in our free Facebook group at www.facebook.com/groups/GoodRecessionWelcome to "Don't Waste a Good Recession", a group with positive and practical advice for businesses from 2 to 500 staff.If you want tangible advice you can execute now, not just more waffle, be sure to 'Like' this video and Subscribe to my channel.