They say we need to run for cover. They say we are headed for economical bad times. They say the economy is about to turn. We’re going to suffer. I do not know if any of it is true. Really, I have no idea. They talk about the yield curve. Ah! Oh! Wow! And that’s about the extent of my comments on the matter. The yield curve! What do I care about the yield curve!

Well, maybe I should.

Because I already went through one big recession and I almost lost my business in it. True, someone I won’t name tried to make a bum out of me, that didn’t help at all. Still, the tragic economical situation of the times were weighing on my life.

So, we have a recession coming. We are pretty sure of it. All right. What does it mean for someone like me or a professional musician?

It means this: save your money. It means this: consolidate your number of students. It means also this: get ready to become creative. Creative to stay in business. For example, when the 2008 crisis hit, I started teaching piano. That’s been 11 years now. It saved me from going belly up. I also looked for other solutions on how to get more phone calls, more students. I also changed my teaching quite a bit. I became sharper and more present, more involved, and I didn’t take things for granted anymore (it has been my way of functioning ever since). The 2008 crisis wasn’t good for my business, but it wasn’t bad for Sol Garnier. I had to learn a lot of new things. Learning is not a bad thing. Maybe the 2008 crisis had its benefits after all.

I don’t want people reading this post to think that I am a doomsayer. I am not. For the ones following this string of blogs or the ones taking lessons with me, you know that I am definitely an optimistic person. I am also someone who tries to stay alert, and the signs right now, the economical signs, are not good. Besides, what is the harm in improving my business? I can always teach with a sharper brain, more knowledge under my belt, more awareness. My job is to have a powerful conversation for one lesson per week with someone who’s interested in the same things I am. What if that conversation becomes more meaningful, more efficient, more fun and captivating?

That recession is going to hit. Will I be prepared? I don’t know. But I am determined to stay in business, no matter what. That’s what counts, ultimately.