Products

Problems
we solve

We can help your business

Request a Free Demo / trial

Insights

Insights | How to
5 October, 2021

Why A Recession Mindset Is Holding You Back

is a recession mindset holding you back?

Life moves fast these days. Faster than at any time in human history. We’re seeing rapid changes in science, technology, health, lifestyle, social issues and many more. 

In fact, there’s progression in almost sat every area.

But many people still cling to a recession mindset. They hold tight to the purse strings, unable to move forward.

Technology is the driving force behind most businesses. Whether it’s digital transformation, organisation-wide integration, or communication with supplier and customer systems. 

Yet, many companies still refuse to take technology seriously. 

Instead, they look for cheap or free alternatives. They’re stuck in a recession mindset. They’re so concerned with saving costs; they prevent their companies from moving forwards confidently. 

All Too Often, People Are Expected to Do More with Less

I supply test tools that help with software projects. I have done for a long time. Throughout my career, I’ve seen many shifts in the market. 

One thing has always struck me though; people who can shift their mindset are able to thrive in any situation. 

A lot of companies and people are still suffering the mental effects of the 2007-2008 credit crunch and the “do more with less” mantra. 

In this article I’m to going to look at the recession mindset, and why it could be holding you back. I’m going to focus on software projects. They’re a major economic focus for most companies. It’s also an area I know inside out. 

In 2007 We Started Asking – Can We Do it Cheaper?

The 2007 credit crunch was 14 years ago. The subsequent recession undoubtedly hit some companies and individuals hard. The steady flow of finance dried up and everyone had to tighten their belts.

Credit dried up, many companies reduced spending and the whole approach to projects changed. The pain was felt immediately after the crunch, even before the full financial impact was known. People became more cautious overnight. 

Projects were mothballed or cancelled. Staff were let go or had pay cuts. Almost everyone started to ask the question, “Can we do it cheaper?”. 

At the time this was the right question. Cutting corners and settling for adequate was appropriate while we all took stock. But the credit crunch was a long time ago. 

Today You Need to Ask – Can We Do it Faster?

Nowadays, the game has changed. We’re no longer looking to outlast the competition. To survive, we all need to constantly evolve.   Today you must be like the apocryphal shark, you need to move forward or die. 

The competition is always adapting, and you need to keep pace. Today, “Can we do it cheaper?” is the wrong question. You need to ask, “Can we do it faster?”. 

In the world of software projects, 5 years is a long time. A decade is a lifetime. 14 years… well that’s practically another era altogether.

There Have Been Many Post-Recession Success Stories

Since the credit crunch, many companies have been incredibly successful. To highlight just a few:

  • 2007 Netflix started streaming
  • 2008 Airbnb founded
  • 2009 Uber, WhatsApp and Bitcoin launched
  • 2010 Apple started selling the first iPad
  • 2012 Tesla debuted the Model S

These successes all share a common trait. They were built on solid investment in technological solutions. They learned how to do things faster. Failing faster, succeeding faster and ultimately growing faster than their competition. 

On the flip side, you had the cautious companies who were afraid and unwilling to invest. Kodak, Blockbuster, Encyclopaedia Britannica, and many others. They didn’t move forward, didn’t invest in technology. They quickly became failed relics.

Don’t let that happen to you.

Why A Recession Mindset Is Holding You Back

Despite the runaway successes mentioned above, many companies and people are still held back by a recession mindset. Afraid to move forward. Afraid to invest in the right areas. 

This lack of investment could be damaging your company’s, and your own success. 

For the cautious, austerity can seem temping. Especially when faced with seeming uncertainty. Though, fortune really does favour the brave. 

We’ve seen so many successes over the last 14 years. Most of them driven by adaptability, dynamism. Successful people, and companies, that can make rapid changes.  They have all invested in people and systems.

Successful Business Think about Investment, Not Spending

Spending is seen as a negative word by many, seen as waste.  If you are trying to persuade a budget holder to spend money, don’t be surprised when they say no. 

Investment is seen as something that will provide immediate or future benefits, something positive.  Of course, before you ask for investment, you need to make sure of the benefits. 

Today we need to do things faster. You need to invest in the right solutions. You need to accelerate change in your organisation.   You need to shake off the recession mindset.

For advice on getting investment approval, check out our guide – How to turn a no into a yes

Stephen Davis
by Stephen Davis

Stephen Davis is the founder of Calleo Software, a OpenText (formerly Micro Focus) Gold Partner. His passion is to help test professionals improve the efficiency and effectiveness of software testing.

To view Stephen's LinkedIn profile and connect 

Stephen Davis LinkedIn profile

5th October 2021
Unethical Test Tool Marketing

Exposed: Are You Being Conned By Test Tool Marketing?

We have all witnessed an alarming rise in deceptive marketing practices that undermine customer decision-making and market integrity, with tool vendors increasingly comparing their tools to industry leaders using deliberately misleading information.

Flaky Automated Tests

Are Flaky Automated Tests Better Than None at All?

Is flaky automation better than no automation at all? Does it help accelerate projects and reduce timelines, or does it end up causing more problems than it solves? And are the questions moot when, with modern AI-powered tools, there’s no excuse for flaky tests?

Software Testing Concepts

Software QA Mythbusting: 5 Misunderstood Testing Concepts

We’ve all been there—sitting in a meeting, nodding along, confident that everyone shares the same understanding, only to discover later that our ideas were built on shaky ground, based on false assumptions and an incomplete grasp of a complex situation. In the world of software development, nowhere is this more common, or more consequential, than with software testing.

LoadRunner v JMeter

LoadRunner: Cheaper & Easier Than JMeter?

Four years ago, I wrote about how LoadRunner Cloud was debunking the myth that open-source is cheaper. At the time, LoadRunner Cloud’s pay-as-you-go pricing, bundled infrastructure, and rapid setup were already making it a compelling alternative to JMeter and similar tools.

Model Based Testing

How to Bridge the Gap Between Business and Testing

MBT can transform software QA processes through enhanced collaboration between testers and subject matter experts (SMEs). It offers enhanced capabilities for businesses seeking efficient, comprehensive testing solutions in an increasingly complex software landscape.

Time to Ditch Jira

Is it Time to Ditch Jira? (… For Test Management)

Are you sick of Jira test management solutions? You’re not alone. I speak to dozens of businesses monthly across all different sectors. Many have been forced to use Jira for test management. The more positive people I talk to say it is okay at best.

How to Succeed at Software Testing

6 Proven Principles For Software Testing Success

After decades in the software industry, I’ve witnessed firsthand how six fundamental principles consistently drive software testing success regardless of methodology or domain. Whether you work in functional or performance testing, follow Waterfall or Agile, or specialise in manual or automated testing, these guidelines form a checklist for consistent testing success.

Performance Test Tool Innovations

What’s New: 5 Important Performance Test Tool Innovations

OpenText’s performance test tools—formerly the LoadRunner family—are continuously improving. Over the last few years, they’ve been enhanced with new features to help your teams deliver responsive, resilient applications with an excellent user experience.

Test Automation Framework Secret

Test Automation: Do Custom Frameworks Hide a Dirty Secret?

It’s 2025, yet many organisations still develop bespoke test automation harnesses and frameworks, stitching together a modular in-house automation solution.  This is due to various invalid assumptions and short-sighted commercial decisions.

Simple test automation

Simple Test Automation: How to Slash Complexity & Maximise Coverage

Are you using multiple tools to test functionally across web, mobile, desktop, and enterprise applications? Then it’s time to consider a smarter, unified alternative. Relying on several test automation tools introduces various and significant challenges for organisations.

Insights

Search

Related Articles

InsightsTrending

To get other software testing insights, like this, direct to you inbox join the Calleo mailing list.

You can, of course, unsubscribe 

at any time!

By signing up you consent to receiving regular emails from Calleo with updates, tips and ideas on software testing along with the occasional promotion for software testing products. You can, of course, unsubscribe at any time. Click here for the privacy policy.

Sign up to receive the latest, Software Testing Insights, news and to join the Calleo mailing list.

You can, of course, unsubscribe at any time!

By signing up you consent to receiving regular emails from Calleo with updates, tips and ideas on software testing along with the occasional promotion for software testing products. You can, of course, unsubscribe at any time. Click here for the privacy policy.