Let’s party like it’s 1986

Okay, a title like that doesn’t have the same ring to it that Prince’s song has, but I just read an interesting article that suggested we could be living in 1986 all over again.

Yes, it’s like we got into Marty McFly’s DeLorean and got the speed up to 88 miles an hour.

Forbes reported in a recent article that the so-called “IPO Class of 1986″ is a significant one: Microsoft, Oracle, Sun Microsystems, and Adobe all went public in 1986. These continue to be big players in the markets they serve. But here’s where it gets more interesting: There was an economic dip in 1982 and 1983 (actually, I just did a bit of research offline and observed that it started in 1981). Those lean years got better but continued to be “skinny” for a couple of years after (and even dipped again slightly in 1986). And then, in 1986, the above-mentioned headlining companies went public.

Forbes is saying that conditions are right for a similar situation today. We’ve been through a lean year (and by “lean” I mean supermodel skinny!) but a number of ground-breaking companies look like they might be leaping out of the IPO gate next year. Once again: A brief recession followed by dynamic companies that grow in spite of less-than-stellar economic conditions.

You can read the article here.

And, you can see which companies should be going public in the near future here.

What does this mean for you? Well, if you’re going to bring your company public in the next couple of months, you’ve picked a potentially good time.

And for the rest of us: I think it’s an inspiring story. The Class of 1986 represent today’s monolithic multi-billion-dollar companies and they IPO’d and grew against the odds on the tail end of a tough economic time.

If they can do it… perhaps the rest of us can, too.

Jessica Routier, IAC-EZ

Jessica Routier

Jessica wants to talk to you! She is who coordinates the contests, travels to all the conferences, and interfaces on a fun level with customers on a daily basis in order to bring our users together as a community.

Jessica has a B.Admin and an MBA. Her background in business, along with a diverse skill-set (including a diploma in Medical Transportation, retail experience, and experience as a paralegal) make her a valued, highly flexible team member.

Follow Jessica on Twitter Follow IAC-EZ on Twitter