It’s been quietly buzzing about… the “R” word. But the real question is can a small business – especially a startup – survive during a recession?
Well, of course. There’s been recessions before and businesses have survived. The key is all in the planning.
Here are some of my ideas to keep you in the black – if and when a recession does come.

Streamline and systemize now. Create systems that keep things flowing smoothly – and save time (which in turn saves money).
Lock in prices for supplies. Find the vendors with the best deals (which isn’t always just price) and …read more

Recently, a small business consultant who runs a business membership organization complained to me that she was surprised to find her renewal rate was down 50% from the previous year.
As someone who was running this organization for 5 years, she realized that she always loses a few members each year.  But 50%!  What gives?
It was easy for me to see the problem.  She increased the membership dues 25%. But that really wasn’t the reason for the multiple rejections.  It was that she didn’t communicate the rate increase to the membership.  The sticker shock turned about half her current members off.
My …read more

For many small-business retailers, the holiday season is a make-or-break mission, representing 60 percent or more of their annual sales. Smart marketing during this period is critical.
Sure, we’ve made it through Black Friday, but more and more businesses are finding that people are procrastinating a bit, waiting for latter int he shopping season to choose their gifts (and often find some great bargains in the process).
Here are some great ways to attract those shoppers to you:

Offer a discount for the holidays.
Give back to a charity.  Allow a percentage of every purchase go to a charity – or better yet, let …read more

Fortune Small Business just featured a story on how small businesses aren’t feeling the credit crunch.
But what I found interesting in the story is it said that venture capitalist are still willing to invest, despite how other lenders are feeling.
If true, this is great news for start ups looking for some funds to ramp up their businesses.
But here’s a suggestion. If you’ve been toying with the idea of finding a venture capitalist to fund your project, now is probably the time to do it. With the changing economy, who knows what they will be feeling about investing in the …read more