IMHO, one of the biggest differences between failing/successful businesses comes down to risk and how it is handled. A failing business usually takes one of two

IMHO, one of the biggest differences between failing/successful businesses comes down to risk and how it is handled. A failing business usually takes one of two extremes: “fuck it” or “no way.” A business that isn’t actively failing looks for ways to mitigate risk, no matter how risk adverse it is. From some friends working in the nuclear sector (federal), the government was taking a “fuck it” approach, with some friends saying it was borderline reckless. Another thing is fear. A failing business gives you worry that your next paycheck won’t be coming. Not only has this happened numerous times to government employees since 2006, I realized how much general fear you live with in the US. As a resident, there was a constant underlying fear of dealing with police, to ending up on a hospital bed and no way to afford it (again). In a successful business, no one is living in fear — maybe stress, but not fear. Those are the two biggest smells I remember thinking about at the time. Is the US actually going to fail? I don’t think so. I think it’s too big to fail atm. If talent starts leaving the US in droves, that’d be the first harbinger in my opinion. But I can’t see the future and wars are usually good for the US, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see the US provoke Russia or some other country into a pointless war.