I have made a conscious attempt to avoid posting financial advice or predictions. I do not trade stocks or actively invest in any non-digital assets. For me the return online is far too great to be distracted elsewhere.

That being said, I feel that I owe some advice to those still reading this blog.

The details of what has happened will not be covered here. If you read the Wall Street Journal, watch CNBC, or read/watch Bloomberg you know whats going on. If not, your probably in the dark.

Nothing that has happened was unexpected, new, or shocking. Last year I tore an article out of Portfolio magazine in whichthe end of at least one of the major investment banks was predicted. I stuck it in the bottom of my sock drawer. Out of all of the books, newspapers, and magazines I had read, it just made too much sense. It turned out to be conservative.

Here is what matters for you, as a business owner –

You have to ride out the storm. There just is no other option. It might be short, it might be long. It might clean out some of your friends.

In tough times only cash and the lack of debt or other long term liabilities provide the buoyancy that will keep you afloat.

The collapse of the dot com bubble destroyed online businesses and billions in wealth. Yet some, with more stable business models, made it through and came out roaring. In the aftermath, guys like Frank Schilling cherry picked prime dot com assets for dirt cheap. Similar opportunities may appear again. In fact, they are already showing up (start looking.)

A hurricane is here.

The US government’s attempted intervention could be the calm in the eye of the storm. Its not a bad opportunity to tighten ship; that is, if you haven’t already.