Has this ever happened to you? I was reading the New York Times and a headline article caught my attention - it said “air travel surges by 123%”. I was compelled to continue reading as it suggested that the aviation industry was beginning to bounce back from the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. As someone who usually spends a lot of time travelling by plane, I was interested to know more. However, upon closer reading, this headline and the data was misleading. Yes, the percentage of air travel had indeed gone up 123% over a 7 day period, but the reality is that is was already down by 96% because of the pandemic, and the resulting planes and people not flying. A 123% increase in travelers from a very low base is actually not something to get excited about. So the real data behind the headline told a very different economic impact story. The lesson to learn from this misleading headline is this: as we are trying to readjust to this ‘new normal’ in life and business, we need to take a close look at all the data which could affect us, and make decisions based on fact, not a good headline.
Have yourself an inspired entrepreneurial day! — Melanie