Guess what industry grows during recessions? Puzzle manufacturers! According to Annie Glibert at Newsweek, the puzzle industry has historically grown in each recession since 1907. In the article the thinking is there is very little to celebrate in a recession so doing a puzzle gives you that feeling.

But I think there is more to it than that. During good times, you put pieces together to drive your business and many work. If they don’t quite fit, well, that’s okay. But during a recession, every piece counts and you have to make sure it is all working together. A good puzzle is the same – the pieces go together and make a unified picture. I think that is what we are all trying to do in difficult times.

As you put those pieces together, just remember you are building the future. My friend Mike Gionta uses a puzzle as a reason to have a business plan – you wouldn’t do a puzzle without the picture in front of you, so how can you build a business without a plan so you know where you are going? I love that metaphor because a. it is so right and b. I’ve done those puzzles where you don’t have a picture or the whole thing is white and they take MUCH longer and are much more difficult.

So my recommendation is look at the elegance of a puzzle and see how you can fit your pieces together to grow in the future. Or, pick up a couple jigsaw puzzles. They are a fun way to spend an evening!