Surviving the Storm: 10 Effective Communication Strategies for Startups to Survive the Economic Downturn In this uncertain financial climate, look for clues in how your communications roadmap to develop leads and communicate with your community

Living in the heart of Silicon Valley in San Francisco, as a minority woman entrepreneur and small business owner with big ideas, I work with VCs, founders, creators, artists, designers, accelerators and technologists from across the globe. My backyard is made up of overpriced coffee shops, too cool for school pubs, clubs, and bars and layered with some of the smartest (and kindest) folks. It's truly a privilege rubbing shoulders with such highly educated, over-achieving, experienced and brave technology aficionados that only an area like the Bay Area could entice.

Going about my day, swatting gloomy, if not brutal echoes of another startup (or enterprise, for that matter) layoff round, my womanly instinct is to offer my shoulder, my home, and my time to friends and peers alike fallen victim or keen to vocalize (if you let it out, its lighter, right?) their fears or impressions of this climate we're living in.

My business is communications. I get my insight from listening, observing, asking questions, monitoring trends and trying to put myself in different shoes. I'm also in the business of simplifying, interpreting, and demystifying really complex, confusing, jargon-filled tech-speak – and responsible for translating those complicated terms for the layman. The layman is the consumer (you and me), your grandmama, your mom, your spouse, the stakeholder, your community member, your investor, an analyst, a reporter, a journalist and your community (whether they're on Discord, TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, Medium, LinkedIn, Notion, Slack or Signal. You name it).

Related: 4 Ways Small Business Owners Can Prepare to Weather All Phases of the Business Cycle

Here are some of the strategies I am picking up on the ground, in real-time, as I steer my ship and weather the downturn.