Resilience in Chaos | How to Thrive When the S**t Hits the Fan

I think we all remember that moment when Boris went on the telly and told us we were going into lockdown. We saw footage of people in China and Italy dying in the street and we thought: “Wow, this is bad.”

In the days before the first lockdown, Codebreak lost 80% of our clients in 48 hours.

Our regular revenue was slashed, and what we had left didn’t cover the bills. That was bad enough, but it got worse. Because we were a relatively new company, and our payroll was new because we’d merged from other companies, we didn’t qualify for furlough.

I had no idea how we’d survive.

I couldn’t make people redundant; they were going through hell as it was with relatives in hospital and things like that. It was the most challenging period in business, for Codebreak and – unless they sold PPE – most other companies out there.

From the Shire to the globe  

Once the dust settled, all I could think about was how to get us back on track.

The first thing we did was start approaching people outside of our normal field. We went from largely Shropshire-based clients to pretty much worldwide overnight. Even before the pandemic, we’d been shifting towards digital marketing.

COVID was the right time to have an e-com business, so that’s what we targeted. But the most successful e-comm businesses in the pandemic weren’t the well-known brands; they were new.

Established e-com businesses had warehouses and staff and overheads, and they quickly realised they could drop ship. Really flexible, no overheads, no staff, no marketing. The new ones, on the other hand, were so new that they didn’t even have marketing budgets.

Then we had that spell where people were on furlough and the weather was amazing, so they were buying all sorts because there was nothing else to do.

All these random products were becoming really popular on TikTok and Instagram, and as a marketing agency, we didn’t really know where to go at that point. I even wondered whether marketing was still alive.

Rolling with the punches

I’ve been through some tough times in my life, and I think of myself as a fairly resilient character. But that period taught me a huge amount about resilience.

During COVID, I felt like I was getting punched the face every day. But then my granddad passed away, and all my other problems got thrown into sharp perspective.

In the general workday – in fact, in all areas of life – you need resilience.

When you’re running a business, you’ll have constant challenges. People will leave, clients will challenge you, some of your ideas with crash and burn, tech will fail, profits might go up and down.

If you’ve developed resilience, you’ll be in a much better position to handle those things and not be overwhelmed by them.

One of the most effective ways to start feeling more resilient is to flip your perspective into one of gratitude.

For me, gratitude isn’t about being overly sentimental; it’s more about grounding myself. Like at this very moment in time, I’m grateful for having a roof over my head, amazing equipment, good microphones, a lovely office and a great team. 

Main character syndrome

Human nature focuses on danger and trouble. If something bad happens, that’s all you see. But it could be that one bad thing happened in a day when a hundred good things have occurred; we just aren’t noticing them.

By writing down five things you’re most grateful for – or your five biggest wins that day – you instantly shift your focus.

Another good mindset shift, especially in business, is asking yourself: “Will this matter in five months?” If it won’t, there’s no point worrying about it now. Things that zap your energy can hugely impact your work and focus.

I had this the other day; I worried about whether someone misunderstood a message I sent. But then I thought: “Will they still think about this in five months?” Probably not.

Often, people don’t care as much as you think.

Nine out of 10 people aren’t focused on you because you’re not the main character in their story. You’re probably not even a side character; you’ve just got a cameo in their life. If you’re worrying about what strangers at a party will think of you, it’s a sign to shift your focus.

For business owners, a typical challenge is losing a big client or customer.

It’s common, and we all know we shouldn’t rely too heavily on one client. In reality, though, these things happen. Now, when we lose clients, I don’t focus on what we’ve ‘lost’. I focus on the time we’ve gained to pursue new opportunities.

That mindset shift makes a huge difference.

Work smarter, not harder

Another way to build resilience is to create a safety net.

I’ve had investments since my 20s because I believe in making your money do the heavy lifting for you. I’m 37 now, but when something like COVID happens, or you need to buy your business partner out, or a big client leaves, it’s easier to feel like it’ll be OK.

Coupled with that, I have the self-belief that if one month I’m not able to pay myself, I’ll get paid double the following month – because watch me.

It’s not arrogance; business owners are the most insecure yet most self-assured people on the planet.

To me, it’s more like a combination of always feeling like you need to prove your worth, while knowing you can do it. It’s a unique pair of characteristics you mostly see in business owners and athletes.

A lot of my resilience comes from not accepting my place in society – knowing there’s something better out there. I watched my parents struggle hard; they really wanted to make life good for me and my brother, but they couldn’t always.

Growing up, I kept thinking: “Why are you doing it this way? All your efforts are about working harder, not smarter.”

They were smart people, but I knew there had to be a better way.

You are who you hang out with

Another thing that’s transformative is surrounding yourself with successful people. Having a coach or mentor – whether it’s a business coach, a mindset coach or even a therapist – can feel like a big investment.

But the growth I’ve seen in people who’ve done that is absolutely phenomenal. Some who were pulling in £2,000 a month are now doing £50,000 as solo entrepreneurs.

If you’re listening to this and thinking: “That sounds great, but I’m not there,” find yourself a coach or mentor. It doesn’t even have to cost money.

My dad was an apprentice carpenter and joiner, and he always found older, wiser people on job sites who shared valuable insights. Everyone can find a sage – someone who can impart a bit of life wisdom and unlock a few things for you.

Nowadays, you can even create a mentor-like figure with AI. Sometimes, you just need someone or something to talk to about deep things you don’t usually get to express. Even having those conversations with AI allows you to process things and build resilience through practice.

Because resilience, like carpentry, is a skill built over time. And the people most willing to fail are the ones who build the most resilience, continue with persistence, and eventually find success.

What does success mean to you?

Success means different things to different people. For some, it’s financial, while for others, it’s bringing family into the business. Traveling the world with their kids. Donating to their community. Or simply being a good person.

Whatever your definition of success, resilience is necessary to pursue and achieve it. You have to be willing to fail at first but without resilience, you’ll give up.

For me, resilience often comes back to my “why.” The book Start with Why by Simon Sinek helped me understand how crucial purpose is. When I feel like I’m crumbling, I go back to my purpose.

For instance, one goal is to take my wife to Borneo to do conservation work. When things go wrong at work, I think about that goal. It motivates me to push through and keep going.

Another driver for me is community impact. I want to grow my business to a level where I can make a meaningful difference in people’s lives. When something small – like a pebble in my shoe – happens, I remind myself to suck it up because I have bigger goals.

People and causes rely on me, and that’s enough to reset my perspective.

Simple actions also help with resilience – like remembering to breathe or relaxing your body when you’re stressed.

Many behaviours that make you appear resilient come from learning and practicing good habits. If I had to give one tip, it would be: don’t borrow tomorrow’s problems today. Worrying about “what if’s” is a trap. Instead, I focus on actions that make tomorrow’s problems less likely to happen.

If they still occur, I know I’ve done everything I could.

Don’t miss the next episode of Stay Hungry – we’ll dive into straight-talking insights on business marketing, growth mindset, and the realities of running a business. And if you want to take the hassle out of your marketing, we’ve got you covered with our done-for-you service.