Creative Entrepreneurship Basics: People Have Real Needs

Piggybacking off of Creative Entrepreneurship Basics: Stop and Take a Look Around, I’d like to continue the discussion on finding solutions to real-life problems — the successful creative entrepreneur’s objective. Sounds pretty straight forward; but in practical application, the challenge to such an undertaking is no small matter.

Displaying more of a producer mindset and creating opportunities for oneself has been something on my mind lately. There’s a real situation out here, where a lot of people have been placed in the unfortunate predicament of losing their jobs and having to really rethink what they can do for their livelihoods. 

Essentially, these mandates out here are threatening to sever some peoples’ jobs if they don’t succumb to taking something they’re either forbidden to take or not comfortable in taking. And with that comes a need — a need created out of a necessity for people to find new livelihoods to help support their families and help sustain their lives.

Because the pandemic wasn’t a scenario that we saw coming and many of us have never planned for such a life-altering event, we’ve been in very vulnerable positions when it comes to meeting basic and discretionary needs these days. Now, there are large sums of individuals worldwide who are facing an even more vulnerable position in their stance on holding fast to their convictions and beliefs and the consequence of losing financial strength in an already economically hard-hit global society.

Where do people that need help turn to in times like these, where a new way of meeting those basic and discretionary needs comes into play? What resources or skills or capabilities do they have to fall back on? What’s Plan B?

Well, the short answer is “I don’t have the answers to those questions.” And one person’s answer may be different than the answer for the person right next to him or her. But the long response is that I plan on taking some incremental steps to give those questions the attention that they’re due. 

After all, what good is a creative entrepreneur who sees a real need of real people in real life and doesn’t seek to do anything real to make an impact toward that need? 

This topic has hit way too close to home to ignore and I’m all about purpose-driven application. If not before, I certainly am now. And if not now, when?

So, I’m currently on a mission. Yes, another one. (If you know anything about me, you know I’m all about the character-building journeys.)  This particular journey is taking me on travels with two groups of individuals put out of their normal way of providing financial support to their families — those who are looking for “Right Now Plan B” and those who have a little time to wait on and create a more “Tailored Plan B”.

Here’s what I mean.

Right Now Plan B – This group is looking for immediate ways to bridge the needs gap upon the loss of a job/career. They don’t have time to necessarily create an economic opportunity for themselves, because there’s no rainy day fund that’s been set up to help them buffer a financial blow if one was to unexpectedly hit. So, plan B is needed with a quickness. It’s called “keeping a roof over the head and food on the table.” You know . . . the daily survival and basic needs considerations.

WOW! I’m tearing up just typing this blog post up. Whew! Get it together, girl.

Okay, and then there’s . . .

Tailored Plan B – This group has a little more time to bridge the needs gap upon the loss of a job/career. There are some funds that have been saved up over time — a nest egg of sorts to help buy some time until another economic opportunity materializes. This group may have some space to build new skills, go back to school, be self-employed, etc. However, the nest egg doesn’t sustain an individual’s or family’s needs forever without any supplemental income to replenish what’s been depleted. So, while there may be more options and time allotted to regroup, the necessity of implementing on Plan B is still very critical.

I also see a third group of individuals transitioning from the “Right Now Plan B” to the “Tailored Plan B” camp, but I’m going to concentrate on the first two for now. I say “concentrate” on these two groups, because I’d like to put my creative entrepreneurial skills to work in an attempt to eventually provide a response to the needs questions I stated at the beginning of this post. 

I’d actually like to make moves toward providing real solutions to real problems. Go figure.

Yep. That’s the place and space I’m in these days. 

So, I’d love for you to come along with me on this truly important journey. Sure, circumstances have created a “need” to take a reactionary mode in order to bring stability to lives that are topsy turvy right now. But once processes — strategies — solutions are put into place and people actually act on them (empowerment at work), then the idea is that a viable blueprint will be established. And hopefully, this blueprint will help others to be more proactive in preparing for ways to meet basic and discretionary needs when Plan A is pulled out from under them, whether dealing with a pandemic and mandates or not.

I said all of the above to say that my goal is to take this “Creative Entrepreneurship Basics” series and flesh out some processes — strategies — solutions for both groups that can help them through these challenging times and beyond. And while I’m doing that, I intend to communicate those findings and lay out the steps I’m organically going through as a creative entrepreneur to help meet the needs of those I’m seeking to serve.

What do you think?