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Leading through crisis has been a consistent theme throughout my entrepreneurial journey, from my early startups to my current role as Managing Partner at Breadenterprise firm and product studio. I used to be faced with the harsh realities of not having the ability to pay salaries, months of product development delays, missing key deadlines, and making the decision to completely shut down one of my businesses, although it was successful.
But these experiences have shown me that effective leadership in times of crisis isn’t about having the right answers—it’s about acting decisively, adapting quickly, and making the tough decisions others might avoid. These are the lessons that have had the best impact on me throughout my profession and have helped me navigate the unpredictable world of doing business.
1. Act quickly in a crisis
When a crisis hits, you wish to make quick, informed decisions, irrespective of how difficult they are. It’s higher to act quickly and correct course later than to do nothing.
In 2013, my team and I faced one of our first major crises. At the time, we were running two corporations at once—a service company that provided us with the revenue we wanted to operate while also developing a technology product. The idea seemed sound: use our pool of talent to create a product that might generate passive income while growing our service business. But we were in trouble.
Overconfidence in our pipeline led us to consider that recent business would all the time be just around the corner, irrespective of how recklessly we spent money on product development. But reality hit us hard when we failed to extend our partnership with our largest client. Suddenly, we were faced with the possibility of not having the ability to pay our employees, at the same time as interest in our product grew. We had to make very difficult decisions about the way forward for the company.
Within two days we made the decision to close the service agency so that we could fully focus on developing our product, Density. It was a painful decision that required letting go of people that had been with us from the starting. However, we knew that trying to juggle each businesses was not viable.
When faced with such a challenge, don’t fall into the trap of analytical paralysis. By making the difficult decision to close the agency, our product business could have flourished. I consider it’s higher to act quickly and fix later than to stand by and watch the situation deteriorate.
2. Don’t limit leadership to senior management
During this crisis, one of my colleagues rose to the occasion in a way I’ll always remember. He was someone who, despite being in a leadership position, was often quiet in meetings and rarely took the initiative. But in the midst of this chaos, he stood up, walked to the board, and outlined a five-step plan to stabilize our situation.
His plan was easy but decisive: We had to get rid of individuals we couldn’t afford, stop paying ourselves for a few months, stabilize our books, set a budget for Density, and step by step move our resources from agency to product. Within minutes, we had a clear path forward, and everyone was rallying around it.
This experience taught me an invaluable lesson: leadership can come from anywhere, and sometimes the best leaders are the ones who step up when you least expect it. My colleagues’ ability to cut through the noise, take motion, and present a clear plan not only saved our business, but inspired the remainder of the team to follow suit.
True leadership isn’t about all the time being the one in charge—it’s about knowing when to step aside and let another person take the lead. Encourage and motivate your team members to step up when they see an opportunity. Often, the best solutions come from those closest to the problem, and that won’t all the time be you or your leadership team.
3. True leadership means getting your hands dirty
When my team and I began building Density, we were months behind on our hardware development. I used to be on the front lines, selling a product that didn’t exist yet. My frustration led me to take matters into my very own hands—literally.
We had a critical installation to deliver for a Fortune 500 client, and we simply didn’t have the hardware ready. So I rolled up my sleeves and, with a few colleagues, began hand-building the units in our Syracuse office. It wasn’t my job, but it had to be done, and I wasn’t going to let our team’s exertions go to waste by missing a huge deadline.
Seeing that I used to be taking on this task, many other team members—even those without technical backgrounds—joined us. Together we worked around the clock to build the hardware, ship it to the customer, and install it on time.
This experience reinforced the concept that sometimes leadership means getting your hands dirty and doing whatever it takes to keep the momentum going. Sometimes you have to find a recent way forward, even if it’s unconventional. Be willing to adapt your strategies when circumstances require it. The key is to remain flexible, open to change, and willing to change direction.
Leading through crisis is never easy, but it’s a key a part of being an entrepreneur. While crises are inevitable, the way you respond to them can determine the way forward for your small business. Leadership is greater than making the right decisions—it’s having the courage to act, the humility to listen, and the resilience to keep going.