Today I spoke with an entrepreneur who asked for my perspective on a distressed asset opportunity. He’s seeking opinions on whether he should pursue the deal and on ways to maximize the value of the asset.

It occurred to me how different the conversation was from others I’ve had recently. In the midst of a pandemic, this entrepreneur is thinking of jumping on an opportunity to acquire more assets when others are minimizing costs and stockpiling cash. As I thought more about this, I realized a few things:‍

• ‍Perspective – Where others see uncertainty, this entrepreneur sees opportunity. He’s your quintessential glass-half-full kind of guy. ‍
• Positioning – He has positioned himself to be presented with and to capitalize on opportunities. Over the years, he’s developed a strong network that he reaches out to regularly. This keeps him top of mind—people think of him when opportunities arise. And his network is full of subject matter experts who can provide valuable insights when he needs them. Lastly, he isn’t leveraged, so he can pull the trigger quickly when he sees an opportunity that he wants to seize. It’s classic “quick close” positioning.
• ‍Just the beginning – This could be the beginning of a period of exceptional opportunity for people with an appetite for risk and the vision to see post-pandemic potential.‍
• Relationships matter – The sellers could get more for their asset, but they’d rather deal with someone they know who has a track record of honoring his commitments.

The future is very uncertain, but some people will thrive. I see entrepreneurs turning ideas into great companies and creating value in distressed situations.  

What opportunities have you taken advantage of in uncertain times?