Words of encouragement — Newsletter issue 003

So much doom and gloom. We’re flooded with it on those little supercomputers we carry around in our pockets.

I recently resigned from a secure director's salary to return and relaunch my agency. Many thought I was nuts.

“Isn't the market terrible right now?”

“What about AI?”

“What about political instability?”

“What about the unemployment rates?”

“What about inflation?”

These are valid fears. The real-world challenges – from economic shifts to the human cost of global conflict – are undeniable and weigh heavily on people.

However, our daily news feed, by its very nature, can paint a skewed, overwhelming picture of only disaster and decline.

Bregman’s book , has never been more relevant. It’s a reminder that the world is full of good, we just need to sift through the clickbait headlines and the fake news to find it.

I’m following Bregman's footsteps, and offering some words of encouragement that I wish I had been given when (re)starting a business felt a little hopeless:

More businesses are being started globally than at any point before 2020. Despite economic noise, new company formation has remained resilient across the UK, Europe and North America — particularly in digital, services and specialist B2B sectors. Source
Periods of uncertainty consistently produce more durable companies. Research from organisations like World Bank and OECD shows that businesses founded during downturns are often more disciplined, adaptable and resilient long-term. Source
The cost of starting a technology-enabled business is historically low. Cloud infrastructure, AI automation, and global distribution mean many companies now launch without upfront capital that would have been unthinkable 15 years ago. Source
Customers are actively seeking alternatives. Trust in large, inflexible incumbents continues to decline – creating space for smaller, more focused businesses that move faster and communicate clearly. Source
Governments and institutions are actively funding innovation across technology, infrastructure and sustainability. Opportunities to open CICs access grants from platforms like grant-seeker are more accessible. Source

Capital hasn’t vanished; it’s simply become more selective. Progress is happening, just a little quieter than before. And this is a good thing. Investors are investing smarter than they did pre-pandemic, when they were throwing money at everything, hoping something would stick. Peak WeWork – before it crashed – was full of unlikely founders with well-funded App, most of which the world doesn’t need.

We're told unemployment is high. But entrepreneurship is rising. Those with the guts to do so are choosing to build something of their own – that’s worth paying attention to. Not because it’s easy, but because it signals a shift in how people see control, security and ownership in an unpredictable world.

The events of the past six years have created a culture of hesitation. Ambition gives way to caution. Sales cycles are longer. Procurement is slower. Cashflow management is more disciplined.

But that’s no bad thing: that’s just smart business.

The opportunities haven’t disappeared, they’ve just evolved. With a future that has become harder to forecast, accelerating AI adoption, political instability and global uncertainty, fixed plans age quickly. Businesses built around a single channel, platform or assumption are increasingly exposed. But those that diversify, remain flexible and can pivot as conditions change are the ones most likely to prosper.

Uncertainty isn’t a reason to stand still. We just need to change the way we build.