We’ve looked at this subject before in Bad economy good time for business start-up? Here Brad Sugars from Entrepreneur.com has managed to stretch his list to the now mandatory top ten reasons for start up during a recession. Some of his ideas are excellent, for example:

People are looking to change suppliers.
From a cost perspective, everything is on the table for most companies. Even if your prices are higher, if you can come in with greater value, you have a good chance at winning new business. You also have the advantage of being the new kid on the block when it comes to pitching your products and services. Many companies are desperate to find new partnerships with new companies that have a different, better or more innovative way of delivering those products and services.

Top 10 Reasons to Start Up in the Recession – Starting a business in a recession – Entrepreneur.com.

Paul Graham explains why in Why to Start a Startup in a Bad Economy.

This makes sense to me. And it squares with my personal experience. There have been three previous economic downturns in my working life. I was an employee for one of the downturns and worked for myself through the other two.

I learnt the hard way that working for myself in a downturn was more secure than being an employee for three reasons:

First, being self-employed meant my income was dependent on a dozen or so separate sources. Some fell over, but they never all fell over at once. On the other hand, as an employee, my entire income halted when my employer got into trouble. Putting all your employment eggs in a single basket doesn’t make sense in a recession.

Second, I’ve discovered that my decision making is pretty good. My judgement is not perfect, but it’s way better than average and, more importantly, it’s better than most of the managers I’ve reported to over the years.

Third, when the upswing comes, I’m in a position to make the most of it. I’ve found larger companies tend to remain traumatised and are too conservative to take the opportunities that arise as the economy picks up.

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