Hey do you want to read my impersonation of a business journalist these days? Ok, here it goes,,

The sky is falling! The sky is falling!

And that’s in the calmer moments. Granted, there is some pretty harsh stuff taking place right now but what does it really mean to those of us on the front lines? So for all of us who aren’t part of big corporate America (which is the vast majority of the US workforce) what do we do to survive this latest fall of western civilization as we know it?

It’s simple …. we work. We work harder; we work smarter. For small business owners, these are the times in economic cycles where those who are dedicated and passionate about what they do and are committed to the people that work for them step up their game. There are many different ways to describe what happens during these types of times. Call it separating the “men from the boys” or “the wheat from the chaff” or go so far as saying the “winners from the losers”; it’s all the same.

Businesses will fall into two distinct camps at this point in time. One camp will pull back and “wait it out”. This group will be real quick to explain away their poor performance as a function of the economy. You will hear ”Oh, the economy is so bad. Everyone is struggling.” Or “ The deck is stacked against success because of (insert excuse here)”. As a part of this survivor (or dare we call it victim?) mentality they will cut back on everything. Cut back on marketing, cut back on staff, cut back investment, cut back on infrastructure. The only thing this camp won’t cut back on is cutting back itself.

The other camp, however, will look and act very differently. By recognizing that these are truly normal cycles that our economy goes through, this group will know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel (and to assume that it is not an oncoming train). This group will dig their heels in and find where the business still exists. They will realize that this is a time of opportunity because their competition has effectively removed themselves from the marketplace until “things get better”. They will work smarter by honestly examining their business and deciding what spending is good and then cutting back only that which is not showing enough return on investment (ROI). They will look to determine what they will need to provide moving forward to be the best solution for their existing customers and the new ones they will harvest from their competition being in full retreat. They will be hope filled rather than doom ridden.

So what camp do you fall in? Whether you are an employer or an employee you are going to have to choose what your actions will be faced with today’s business news and the ensuing environment (whether it is real, perceived or just plain fabricated). What will you turn to for strength? Will you just curl up and hope it goes away? Personally, I plan on finding and working with those who are interested in moving forward regardless of the “market conditions”. I know there are a lot of those types out there. If you want to try to work together to take full advantage of the opportunities that are out there give me a call. Let’s work together to get better not bitter.

Thanks and have a great day!