三件事我了解到关于Copi亿万富翁ng With the COVID-19 Health CrisisHere are the steps they take to thrive despite the challenges, and how you can, too.

ByRafael Badziag

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

You're reading Entrepreneur Europe, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

Kseniya Ovchinnikova | Getty Images

The COVID-19 global health crisis poses a multitude of challenges for every entrepreneur. Experts in some economies predict that in the coming recession, up to 40 percent of all businesses could cease to exist. Virtually every business owner is affected by the crisis this way or another and many feel a deep need for orientation in this difficult time.

In every walk of life, you always should learn from the best people in your area. Being an entrepreneur myself, I spent the last seven years travelling the world and interviewing some of the best entrepreneurs on the planet. I met over three dozen self-made billionaires on a mission to find out what in their personalities made them so extremely successful in business, to learn their thinking patterns and business strategies. I published the results of my research in the book "The Billion Dollar Secret" and founded with half a dozen billionaires the 10 Digit Impact Group, a global platform for 10 digit individuals to exchange thoughts, experiences, and co-ordinate their international philanthropic activities to have a positive impact on the lives of billions of people.

Here is how billionaires approach the COVID-19 crisis and the three steps they take to thrive nevertheless:

1. Stabilize your business.

The first rule in business is: Don't go broke! Also, in the crisis, the first and most important goal is to stay in business.

The COVID-19 crisis shows up in its first phase as a liquidity crisis. For business owners, it's critical to keep liquidity. You don't want to be in a situation where you are forced to sell your assets. To achieve that, you need to be flexible and quickly adapt to changing conditions. Innovation and the use of new technologies can help you achieve that.

在困难时期,减少dependenc是明智的y on financial institutions. Many billionaires have no debt in their companies or they want to reach zero debt soon.

No business can exist without customers. In a deep recession like this one, it's not enough to think only about the financial condition of your company. You also have to think about the financial condition of your customers. You want them to survive so your company can survive. Sometimes you need to give them better business terms, give them more time to pay the obligations, temporarily waive the interest or even forgo part of the debt. It may be painful in the short term but it may save your company in the long term.

2. Prepare for opportunities.

Cash is king! It sounds like a slogan but there is no other time when these words are more true than now. Every crisis is an opportunity and there are many opportunities to come in this crisis. There will be assets in different areas to be had cheaply, be it real estate or companies. To take advantage of these opportunities, you need cash.

Billionaires have prepared for it by selling some of their non-essential, non-strategic assets and currently keep unusually large amounts of cash so they can invest with a discount at a later point in time.

3. Invest during max panic.

When everybody thinks in one direction, don't be surprised when the situation develops in the opposite direction. When everybody runs for the hills, that's when you should take a contrarian view and go against the crowd. You will always find opportunities there where somebody loses liquidity and has to sell.

Billionaires expect real estate and the stock market to go down in price even further in the coming months and years. When the panic in the market caused by the fears about the second wave and potential second lockdown reaches its maximum, that's when the opportunities will outweigh the risk.

That's when you should look for potential acquisition targets in your industry or expand your activities to new markets using your cash stash.

Wavy Line
Rafael Badziag

Global Entrepreneur & Best-Selling Author

Rafael Badziag is the author of the No. 1 best-selling book "The Billion Dollar Secret" and is a global entrepreneur, top TEDx speaker and angel investor. He is an expert in psychology of entrepreneurship, specializing in self-made billionaires. http://thebilliondollarsecret.com/about/

Related Topics

Science & Technology

4 AI Trends That Have Helped the Creator Economy (and How to Take Advantage)

Creators are using AI to make their jobs easier and more productive. You can too.

Real Estate

How to Start Investing in Real Estate With as Little as $5,000

Getting started with real estate investment might be easier than you think.

Culture

5 Ways HR Can Drive Success In Today's Turbulent Times

Practical suggestions on how HR teams can adapt to help their companies succeed in an era of AI, uneasy economic conditions and limited budgets

Living

How to Control Your Brain for Optimal Functioning

Turn your brain into a force of nature by optimizing it for success with biohacking.

Living

Hustle Culture Is Dying — And It Should Be. Here's How to Start Working Less.

Hustle culture is killing your business, but not in the way you think.

Business Ideas

55 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2023

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2023.