Knowledge Marketplace
My First Million

My First Million

The best business ideas come from noticing what's working and doing it better, faster, or for a different audience.

Back to Frameworks

Crisis Pivot Framework

Reusability

A systematic approach to rapidly shifting business operations during crisis events to capture emergency demand in new markets

How It Works

Works by leveraging existing manufacturing/operational capabilities and redirecting them toward suddenly critical needs, often with government backing and reduced competition

Components

1

Identify your core operational capabilities (manufacturing, distribution, relationships)

2

Map those capabilities to emerging crisis needs

3

Abandon low-priority existing products immediately

4

Shift all production to crisis-demanded items

5

Pursue government and institutional contracts aggressively

6

Scale manufacturing rapidly while demand is price-insensitive

When to Use

During major crisis events (pandemics, wars, natural disasters) when normal supply chains break down and emergency demand creates massive opportunities

When Not to Use

In stable markets, when you lack manufacturing flexibility, or when crisis demand is clearly temporary with no sustainable transition path

Anti-Patterns to Avoid

Trying to maintain old product lines during the pivotOver-analyzing the opportunity while others move fastFocusing on consumer sales instead of institutional contractsPlanning for normal profit margins instead of crisis pricing

Example

A company making LED-lit vodka bottles immediately shifts all production to N95 masks and respirators when COVID hits, winning $113M government contracts by being first to market