Looking for solutions in tough times

5 ways to thrive in a bad economy

Reces­sion or recov­ery? At every turn these days, like impa­tient chil­dren, we ask, “are we there yet?” Researchers and gov­ern­ment offi­cials answer in ways that trans­late to “not yet, soon, have a lit­tle more patience…” Fine for them to say! They aren’t try­ing to hang onto my busi­ness, or any other busi­ness I’d guess. What we really need are things to do today. Right now!

So here are 5 things you can do now.

1. Com­mu­ni­cate with your cus­tomers. Dust off your old con­tact list. Remind old con­tacts that you are still here to serve them. Ask ques­tions or favors, offer them deals, ask them to sug­gest new con­tacts that need your prod­uct or services.
2. Meet more peo­ple. Pol­ish up that 30-​second self-​introduction. Use it at Cham­ber mix­ers, civic orga­ni­za­tion meet­ings or City Coun­cil meet­ings. Use a form of it in your adver­tis­ing. Design a flyer, busi­ness card, brochure around it and pass them out to neigh­bor­ing busi­nesses. Heck any­one who’ll take it.*
3. If you’re an e-​business, be out spo­ken online. Get a web­site, or two or three. Get a blog and use it. Keep up with the social net­work­ing pos­si­bil­i­ties — they change daily. Make sure you net­work your social sites. This will save time post­ing and increases your visibility.
4. Upgrade your skills. Not the skills you are sell­ing in your busi­ness. Bet you’re pretty good at con­struc­tion, cater­ing, nurs­ing, auto repair or what­ever you do. Must have thought so or you wouldn’t have opened a busi­ness. What about your back-​office busi­ness skills like sales, mar­ket­ing, adver­tis­ing, busi­ness law, taxes or account­ing? Does your com­pe­ti­tion have those skills? Is that how they are stay­ing in busi­ness? Maybe you just need to learn enough to hire some­one that has that tool finely sharpened.
5. Get help. If you think you need it, you prob­a­bly do. Find a men­tor or some­one who can give sound, afford­able advice. Seek coun­sel from well-​qualified peo­ple who will work with you on fees and help you avoid the pit­falls that destroy many small businesses.

* Note:

Over the years, we have helped hun­dreds of new busi­nesses cre­ate pro­fes­sional, afford­able mar­ket­ing mate­ri­als, web­sites and blogs. If you are look­ing for some­one to assist you who truly under­stands the needs of a small busi­ness, check out our site.