David Nilssen is like a teddy bear.  I don’t know what it is about David Nilssen but he is the guy you just want to hug.  I’m only sharing this because that’s how David makes you feel when you’re around him.  He is authentic, sincere, wicked smart, and moves through life with a desire to serve.  So you can only imagine how difficult it was when David was faced with the existential threat of losing his company and laying off his employees back in 2008.  

Guidant Financial is an amazing organization that helps entrepreneurs finance their dreams through unlocking their 401K’s and administering the rules and regulations around doing so.  They have helped over 20,000 people open small businesses around the United States.  Without Guidant, entrepreneurs' dreams are thwarted.  And Guidant’s dream was nearly thwarted as well.

David is one of our designers that I interviewed in One Life to Lead.  He shares his experience in the Taking Action chapter of the book under the category of Action Requires Planning to Act.

David shares:

“In October 2008, we began what would result in three layoff rounds, going from 115 to 30 employees and being in debt over $1 million.  As I like to joke, ‘We were so broke that we didn’t even have enough money to declare bankruptcy.’  

What I appreciate about David is that he was vulnerable enough to share that his over optimism about the economic climate clouded his judgement about taking significant action to shore up his finances quickly.  He was running on emotion, not a plan to get from A to B.  He didn’t make that mistake again.

In the pandemic, he and his partner were decisive, made courageous moves and didn’t let their optimism for the future get in the way of the reality they needed to embrace in the moment.  That doesn’t mean that David doesn’t suffer from all the anxieties and uncertainties of building a business.  What it means is that he has learned from his experience and modified how he has approached future problems.  And you can too.

If you want to learn more about David and other life designers on how you can take control to design the life you want to lead, check out One Life to Lead today.

Russell Benaroya is an entrepreneur, coach, speaker and author of One Life to Lead and Free Yourself to Work on Your Business.  To learn more, visit www.russellbenaroya.com.