I didn’t hear any screeching tires. I didn’t see the shadow from my super-peripheral vision as the two and a half ton tank with 6 screaming kids fast approaching from the rear at about 30 miles per hour. I didn’t even notice my super-extra-sensory, intuition warning system that usually warns me that something was about to happen.
It was a clear sunny day around noon-the midway point of one of my contract driver training sessions. We were about to take a lunch break. The red light at the intersection had just changed to green and I remember sitting in the passenger seat and turning to my trainee driver about to say something when… Whamm!!! Everything seemed to move in slow motion. My whole body violently lunged forward as the seatbelt snagged me and then snapped my head back like a paddle ball or a marble slung against a wall from a fat rubber band. And just like in the movies, everything came back to real-time when a fireman from a fire truck who just happen to witness the whole thing tapped on my window and asked, “Anybody hurt, are you alright?”
I felt a little stiffness, but I thought I was alright. My trainee thought he was alright. So, I didn’t think it was that serious. That is until later that night when I felt a slight headache coming on and the next morning when I really felt the full- effects of the physical trauma to my neck and back. After-effects that took weeks of physical therapy and that I’ve never quite fully recovered from physically.
A True Business Dilemma
As an entrepreneur (my prior career as a small fleet owner) sometimes the financial and emotional effects of a car crash can be just as devastating as, if not more devastating than, the physical trauma itself. I found that out first hand.
First, unlike an employee, you can’t rely on worker’s compensation as a financial net. Sure, there are a number of short-term disability/income replacement policies out there. However, when you’re in the early stages of a new business, it’s really not a top priority for most entrepreneurs and some policies can get cost-prohibitive.
Second, many underestimate the how much of your personal time is diverted from business pursuits in dealing with the aftermath of the event. In my case, I had to postpone several business and writing projects, a pre-planned book development schedule as well as my training and mentoring sessions. All-in-all my schedule had been pushed back at least three months–a major productivity blow.
But, the emotional toll is the most surprising of all for many in these types of incidents. Your invincibility is instantly threatened and/or crushed. You go from “I’m alright” to “What if I’m not alright?” to “OMG, this thing is real!” You’ll go through a whole range of emotions. You’ll constantly wonder and worry about your diminished physical capabilities, business failure, your financial obligations; and the effects on the rest of your life post-injury.
And while you feel helpless as you watch your revenue takes a sharp nose-dive and reserves and savings start to drain like a hot pot of water in a spaghetti strainer, there’s incredible pressure to quickly settle your personal injury claim against the at-fault individual or company before time (statute of limitations) or your financial resources run out. But, the big dilemma is that you don’t really know what the long-term or permanent effects of your injury are or will be.
This can be very difficult to measure financially and emotionally. And the wrong calculations and decisions can have very serious consequences on your life and your business moving forward.
An Entrepreneur’s Nemesis
The business failure rate has always been an entrepreneur’s nemesis. Among new businesses, failure still lurks around 70-90%. And somewhere in those figures, there are a number of business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs who were side-swiped and wiped out by serious, life-altering accidents. The numbers of crashes are beginning to stack against us more and more.
According to the Association for Safe International Road Travel nearly 20 to 50 million people worldwide are injured or disabled each year in vehicle collisions. Nowadays, certainly with the proliferation of mobile apps, devices and other distractions, one could surely bet we’re trending on the high end of the scale. The Association also says that over one million people are killed as a result of vehicular accidents each year. Road crashes are one of the leading causes of death among otherwise healthy US citizens.
Fortunate for my trainee, myself and others involved, no one was added to that last statistic. Still, the odds were just stacked against me even more. I’ve been involved in the transportation industry for over two decades.
But regardless of what sector or industry you’re in, ALL business owners and entrepreneurs are just one car crash away from business failure and impending doom.
Well, maybe not all. You see, there are business owners, entrepreneurs, and then there are Breakthrough Entrepreneurs. [Intro- Super Hero Theme Song]
Superpowers of the Breakthrough Entrepreneur
Peng Shuilin is a living example of true superhero — a Breakthrough Entrepreneur. Forget X-ray vision. Forget time travel. This Breakthrough Entrepreneur exhibits supremacies of mental focus superpower and self-discipline superpower and a combination of other entrepreneurial superpowers such as: financial savvy, confidence, and tenacity among others.
After a collision with a truck that divided his whole body in two in 1995, he was told that he had only a 30% chance of survival after losing all of his lower body. He was determined to not only survive, but thrive as a successful entrepreneur.
Peng is known all over China and the World as the “Half man”. And although tragic, this story has a silver lining. This extraordinary individual lives an extraordinary life as a super hero—a Breakthrough Entrepreneur.
After undergoing several surgeries to restore the functions of his vital organs, he stood only 70 centimeters tall. So, he learned to walk and move around with bionic legs. With this new mobility, he focused on becoming a successful businessman.
With so much press coverage of his ordeal and after becoming known as the “half man”, he decided to open a store under the name and tagline: “Half-man’s store, everything is half priced.”
It was a super-successful hit. And the success of that one store grew into a chain of stores all throughout China.
Today Peng Shuilin is one of China’s wealthiest individuals. His mindset, attitude and mental focus superpowers are what makes him a bonafide Breakthrough Entrepreneur. Accident or not, there are no physical obstacles or challenges that can’t be overcome by the Breakthrough Entrepreneur’s superpowers of clear, mental focus, positive thoughts and vision. It’s a natural component of many a superhero’s personal defense shield.
Building a Super-Personal Defense Shield
Most of us are aware of what to do when we’re involved in an accident – Get information from all of the key parties involved; take pictures or video evidence; document witnesses; keep great records including medical, billing, receipts and pain journals….etc. However, if you’re a small business owner and find yourself the victim of a serious accident and staring down the wrong end of a business death ray, use the following steps that we use on our crisis management projects:
• Assess Your Situation – Take inventory of all of your assets, liabilities and resources. Determine the potential impact of your accident and after-effects on both personal and business interests.
• Carefully Communicate – Keep lines of communication open with insurance agents. However, be very careful though. What you say to the other parties’ insurance agent can and will be used against you.
• Identify Key Resolutions – Seek professional accounting, business, and legal advice. Your advisors will help you foresee and decide on how to respond to and resolve most issues.
• Develop a Strategic Recovery Plan – After you’ve assessed your situation, identified some key resolutions, the next step is to immediately strategize and put together a recovery plan.
• Recovery Implementation – Create a timeline or milestone chart and “just do it”. Your plan will be only as good as its implementation, so be sure to follow through.
Regardless of the severity of your accident and before trying to DIY your own insurance claim and business recovery, at the very least, talk to professionals and then determine if it’s something you can handle on your own. You can always get others involved later, if you feel you aren’t making progress or getting fair treatment.
You’ve heard the old saying “the best defense is a great offense”. Well, the best offense and defense in situations like these is to be prepared. So, you might want to consider learning how to become a Breakthrough Entrepreneur and build up your superpower combination.
There are 28 superpowers to choose from. Below are just few that will help you start to build a solid personal defense shield against potential career-ending accidents.
• Mental Focus Superpower
• Environmental Control Superpower
• Super-Productivity Superpower
• Financial Savvy Superpower
I’ll be writing more about these entrepreneurial superpowers and some pretty amazing stories in the upcoming months. Breakthrough Entrepreneurs have incredible and amazing resolve when it comes to dealing with problems, dilemmas and other nemeses.
Even though my personal accident experience pales in comparison to the experience of Peng Shuilin, the experience had me on constant alert status and looking over my shoulder for several weeks while driving. It’s frightening to think about how we’re all just a car crash away from a total business catastrophe. But, fear not. If you’re willing to listen, learn and engage, I’ll show you how to become an Entrepreneurial Super Hero. You’ll be prepared and you’ll find out just how these superpowers will always kick in and pull you through just in the nick of time.
[Outro – Super Hero Theme Song Plays]