Hard times make hard decisions easy because nobody’s going to be upset at you. Everybody else sees the same stuff you’re seeing.
Table of Contents
Recession-Proof Doesn’t Mean Risk-Free
The recession is already here. Tariffs, volatility, uncertainty. Most people are waiting for the storm to pass. I say run into it.
I’ve built during crashes. I’ve grown when the market shrank. And if you want to get rich in a downturn, you’ve got to know what to do while everyone else is panicking.
Here’s how I’m playing it.
1. Run Your Numbers Like Your Life Depends on It
You can’t build on sand. If you’re not tracking your numbers, you’re already behind.
Here’s the move:
Open up your bank and credit card statements.
Create a spreadsheet. Log every recurring payment, fixed expense, and income source.
Ruthlessly cancel what doesn’t move you forward (streaming services, unused software, luxury fluff).
Cut the fat, not the muscle. Books, gym, coaching. That stuff fuels your growth.
Ask yourself: Am I spending to look rich or actually get rich
Many founders fail financially because they never get real about where the money is going. It’s time to audit your life like a CFO.
Cancel the memberships. Clean up the holes. Focus on you.
2. Build a Three-Phase Survival Plan
When everything feels chaotic, emotion will kill your decision-making. You need a blueprint before things go sideways.
Make the tough calls before you have to make them. No emotion. Just execution.
Your plan should have 3 phases:
| Phase | Trigger | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | Lose a bonus or small revenue dip | Cut luxuries and “nice to haves” |
| Phase 2 | Revenue or salary significantly impacted | Cut deeper. Pause subscriptions. Downsize lifestyle. |
| Phase 3 | Complete income loss or layoff | Pull the ripcord. Reset. Make radical decisions fast. |
Make the phase plan so that you can make the decision without the emotion.
3. Monetize Your Assets Right Now
You already own value. Time to extract it. Start by asking: How can I turn my assets into income?
Rent out space or unused vehicles (Airbnb, Turo)
Offer your team as consultants if you run a business
Host paid workshops using internal resources
Start side gigs that don’t cost capital — like coaching, freelancing, or online services
Sell stuff. Literally. A yard sale can extend your runway.
You’ve built something. Don’t let pride get in the way of protecting momentum.
You really only have two things: your time and your resources.
4. Sharpen the Axe During the Slow Season
You might not be able to grow right now. But you can always prepare.
Use this time to:
Invest in skills that compound (sales, product, leadership)
Read, write, take courses, build side projects
Improve your systems, not just your hustle
Focus on building your foundation so when the tide turns, you’re ready.
Most people freeze. Winners prepare.
Compounding growth only works if you have something to compound.
5. When Skies Clear, Strike Hard
Momentum favors the prepared. The greatest returns come from downturns because everyone else is still scared.
Here’s what I look for before striking:
2-3 strong data points of positivity (revenue, trends, customer behavior)
Confidence in cash runway
Internal readiness to expand, hire, or scale
When others are tiptoeing back in, you already made the call. You’re first in the jetstream.
Examples of action:
Ask for the raise.
Launch the new offer.
Double your ad spend.
Buy that asset you know is undervalued.
In like a lamb. Out like a lion.
Ready to Get Rich When Others Retreat?
This isn’t the time to freeze. This is the time to focus, make real decisions, and bet on yourself with precision.
There are trillions of dollars moving through the system. The question is, how much of that is going to land in your pocket?
You’ve got the playbook. Now go build. Get clear. Get aggressive. Get what’s yours.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should entrepreneurs focus on during a recession?
During a recession, entrepreneurs should focus on controlling cash flow, cutting unnecessary expenses, and investing in skills that compound. Most importantly, build a plan so you can execute without emotion. That’s how winners stay in the game.
Is it smart to start a business during a recession?
Yes. Some of the greatest companies in the world were built during downturns. A recession clears the noise and forces you to get lean and sharp. You just need the right model and mindset.
How do I protect my business in a recession?
Protect your business by running lean, planning in phases, monetizing unused assets, and staying hyper-focused on what generates revenue. The key is preparation, not panic.
What are the top assets to monetize during a recession?
Your top assets are time, space, skills, and team. Think about renting, consulting, building digital offers, or selling things you no longer use. It’s not about pride. It’s about survival and positioning.
How do I know when it's time to scale again after a downturn?
Look for key positive signals: stabilized cash flow, uptick in demand, and market sentiment shift. Be early, not late. Those who wait for certainty always miss the real opportunity.
More Resources
Tools Mentioned
Turo: Rent out your car to generate passive income
Airbnb: Monetize extra space or rooms in your home
Google Sheets: Use it to track your financial numbers, phase plans, and budget cuts
YouTube: A goldmine for free education to sharpen your axe
Full Transcript
How to Survive & Get Rich in the 2025 Recession – YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfzfzwaxCnc
Transcript:
(00:00) all the indicators are now pointing to a recession tariffs are ripping through the economy markets are volatile and everyone’s hopes to get rich are slowly dying the world is going to change forever but this isn’t my first rodeo i’ve gone through three major recessions in 2000 2008 and 2020 and I was able to build wealth despite the whole market slowing down and I don’t want you to be left behind i’m going to share the five simple steps that I’m personally following to take advantage of this window of opportunity and how you can
(00:31) use these same steps to get rich in this recession even if you’re starting at zero starting with step number one run your numbers don’t stare at the light coming straight at you and get hit by the train most people would rather stick their head in the freaking sand and pretend like the rest of the world isn’t getting crazy if you take one thing away from this video it’s control the controllables hard times make hard decisions easy because nobody’s going to be upset at you everybody else sees the same stuff you’re seeing and it might be
(01:01) the first time that you give yourself permission to do the thing you know you should probably be doing when you’re faced with uncertainty you need to make precise bets you absolutely have to cut the fat without damaging the muscle it means make decisions to understand where your money’s going but don’t cut things that’ll make it harder for you to get reset afterwards so yes continue to read books invest in your education yes continue to invest in your health don’t cut those things because those make you better they’re the engine of your growth
(01:32) but all the other stuff these elaborate vacations these crazy dinners these splurging on clothes like some people are paying for memberships and subscriptions to things they haven’t used in months they don’t even know they’re paying for them it’s like death by a thousand memberships just pull back understand where you’re bleeding cash that you shouldn’t be clean up the holes cancel the memberships and focus on you just processing your credit card statement and canceling the things you don’t even recognize probably a good
(02:00) move run your numbers create that spreadsheet update the spreadsheet so that you know where the money’s coming in and where it’s going out and then just make decisions if that’s the right thing for you based on what’s happening right now that brings us to step two build your three-phase plan when 2020 hit I had the privilege of coaching thousands of software CEOs through this uncertain market we didn’t know what was going to happen when it was going to happen how bad it was going to get many of my clients actually had their client
(02:27) whole businesses shut down restaurants gyms retail stores those were the people paying for their software solutions and here I was having to help guide them through the fog so it doesn’t matter if you’re running a business or you’re running a household make decisions without emotion before you have to make the decision and that’s what I taught them that three-phase plan allowed them to move confidently without being wasteful and then come back swinging once things turned around so this is how you build your three-phase plan phase
(02:55) one this is where you may not get that bonus you expected and then you just got to start thinking about maybe you got to cut those nice to have expenses phase two is maybe there’s some challenges in the business and everybody’s got to take a salary cut maybe it’s temporary maybe it’s long-term that’s when you start cutting anything you don’t need to live phase three is you lose your job and at that point I call that the rip cord method that’s where we have to decide without delaying what we’re going to do in that moment and it might not be
(03:21) pretty it might mean moving in with your parents or some other decisions but you have to make the decision the key is to make the phase plan so that you can make the decision without the emotion because in the moment you might decide to hold on and that’s going to create a lot more pain when you just have to acknowledge what it is and already have made the decision these are the steps that we’re taking now that this happened so for example my brother and I we made an agreement a long time ago that if one of
(03:43) us goes crazy and for whatever reason goes bankrupt and they have no more money essentially we’re allowed to sleep at the other person’s house i mean we used to joke on the couch but now obviously we all have guest rooms that decision allows both of us to absolutely push as hard as we can because we know worst case our kids get to hang out with their cousins we get to full reset to build it’ll take probably 6 months to get back where we’re at and from that we get to learn the lesson and move forward and then the best part about this is it
(04:09) allows us to build without fear that brings us to step three monetize your assets recessions don’t kill businesses ignoring the untapped value does you really only have two things you have your time and you have your resources i’m talking about looking at all the things you own and saying “How can I make this make me money?” Like I said you might decide “Hey I’m going to move in with my parents and rent out our house.
(04:34) ” You might decide to put one of your extra cars on Turo it’s your call what level of cutting or resourcefulness you get i met a guy the other day who is a mortgage broker and he was driving our Uber and he had no problem saying “Hey things are slow right now i’m driving Uber it helps me have a little extra money so we can pay for our vacation to go visit the family once a year.
(04:51) ” and also gets me out of the house and my wife is really happy you know and he kind of joked about that but you might decide to do the same thing you might have a business and you have a pretty big team and you’re worried about having to lay people off well what if you allowed people to consult with your team what if you monetized their knowledge what if you created workshops with those people you could work on arrangement where you get some income they make some money you might decide to rent some space i don’t know what it is but
(05:12) there’s something about your life either your time you might start moonlighting you might start focusing on online or your resources you might decide to do a yard sale that’ll allow you to stay in it without having to reset when bad things happen to people it’s not that the bad thing happened it’s how they reacted the ones that did a full reset to try to build from zero they lost all that momentum the ones that decided to say “Hey we’re going to protect what we’ve created so far it may not thrive it may not grow but we’re not going to
(05:40) get kicked out of the game.” And then from that place once the market comes back you get to ride it up that’s what differentiates the winners from the losers most people think having courage means making decisions when you’re not scared the truth is is courage requires you to be scared and make a decision either way that brings us to step four sharpen your axe in 2020 when everybody was looking at the world and wondering what was going to happen a lot of people retreated all the way back and what I did instead is said “Hey what works what
(06:08) do I know will be true in the future i may not be able to grow but I can prepare I can get stronger so I got ready i sat there and said “Okay how do I invest in myself how do I personally get better how do I ensure that I’m building a strong foundation to be able to build from?” The reason this works is that compounding growth only works if you have something to compound so that’s why you have to get better so that you have a stronger foundation to be able to push from you’ve never gotten better when things were good i’ve never gotten
(06:35) better when things are good i’ve only experienced real growth when there was pressure in my kids’ room there’s this poster with a diamond it says no pressure no diamonds it’s kind of like the butterfly did you know when the caterpillar goes into the cocoon and it’s struggling to get out of the cocoon if you came along you tried to help it out you would actually deform the butterfly it would probably kill it because it needs to go through that process of struggle and challenges so that it can come out as a butterfly so
(07:02) right now the best thing you could do is actually embrace the challenge and understand you’re just solidifying the foundation you’re sharpening the saw you’re getting ready for the next step when gets tough you got to get tough most people will just go through challenges i want you to grow through challenges the idea of saying look I can’t help that this world is doing what it’s doing and these situations are happening and this decision was made and it affects me and I can go through that challenge and change or I can grow
(07:32) through it so I can come out the other side better and that brings us to step five when skies clear strike hard the greatest returns come from the biggest downturns when crowds retreat wise men advance it’s just like this time I went rally car racing and the instructor said “In like a lamb out like a lion.
(07:51) ” And I was like “What the freak does that mean?” Turns out when you come into the corner you want to be super slow super calculated and then turn into the turn but as soon as you get the apex you power on aggressively so you have your plan you adjust as soon as you see the clouds part and the sun shines through you attack it you move full force you take advantage of the opportunities you ask for a raise you ask for new opportunities you push you got to get in the jetream i don’t know if you know this it’s faster to go from one side of
(08:19) the country to the other side because you’re in the jetream you’re in flow this has always been true and Warren Buffett talks about all the time is that markets are markets they go up they come down if it’s down right now trust me it will go up and you want to be the person ready to take advantage of think about it you take a world-class entrepreneur you take everything away from them you drop them in the middle of the Amazon jungle you come back in 5 years I know what you’ll find you’ll literally find a person with the team and they built this
(08:45) whole temple and the whole thing’s going why because winners win i want you to be one of those people that come in like a lamb prepared and out like a freaking lion you want to be cautious because the key is you got to protect your psychology you don’t want to be scared you don’t want to get on the defense you don’t want to be thinking that the whole sky is falling and the same thing when things turn around you don’t want to be too quick to react so I always try to find two data points three data points of positivity that tell me now’s a good
(09:12) time to move forward if you wait too long everybody else saw the same thing and they’ve already taken advantage of it so you have to be early that’s why I’m so excited to share this with you because I know it could absolutely transform your life but all that being said this is the key don’t freeze make decisions control the controllables control when you work out what food you put in your mouth what you focus on those are things not the news not your social media not eating for comfort you can control the things only you control
(09:42) make the list dump it out what can you do to attack the list hit it hard progress in any part of our life equals fulfillment forward movement there’s trillions of dollars exchange every day in this economy my invitation to you is go get some so if you want to learn how to build a business from zero to a million click the link and I’ll see you on the other