Surviving chaos.

Who run Bartertown?

Researching a freelance writing assignment for a client, I ended up on a website run by survivalists. I’m hesitant to even link to it, because there’s some crazy stuff going on over there.

However, I did catch something interesting among all the fear and paranoia on that website. The authors wrote passionately about how the stress and frustration of today’s economy causes us to accept a little more brutality in our daily lives.

As I write this, from the Starbucks around the corner from my Philadelphia apartment, a police chopper hovers overhead. The cops apprehended a man who fired his gun at windows along Broad Street. No particular reason why, at least not yet. And I wouldn’t hold my breath for an explanation other than anger and frustration.

Our Independence Day celebration ended in gunfire, too. Having spent time in both radio and television newsrooms, the “if it bleeds, it leads” rule still takes precedence over information that requires us to think deeply about what’s going on in our economy or our community. We want a diverting story that takes us out of our everyday lives: guy goes nuts, guys shoots out windows, cops catch guy, the end.

As a business owner, I’d worry about that guy. Not long ago, he may have been an entrepreneur like you, or even one of your customers. Or, he’s someone who has fallen through society’s cracks, unable to cope with problems we have the ability to fix.

Whether that shooter’s wrestling with mental illness or struggling with the loss of a job or a child or a lover, we have a responsibility to figure this out. “More jobs” sound great in an election season, but we’ve got to back them up with the demand for products and services we can be proud of.

Starting a Philadelphia content strategy company in the middle of all this chaos is either the best idea I’ve ever had, or the craziest. After years of ghostwriting, I know that the right words and the consistent delivery of a powerful message can build demand for just about anything.

The survivalists said that a strong leader survives chaos by prioritizing guard duty and locating food and water. Who’s hunting for the resources—the new customers and the repeat contracts—that your business needs to survive? And what will you do to guard your assets, ensuring that nobody’s stealing those clients or eliminating the demand for what you do?

Contact me to learn how my team can help you survive chaos, and build demand for your business. Or, dive right in and sign up for one of our content strategy programs. We can help keep each other from becoming the next guy the cops dispatch a chopper to find.