Why will some small businesses not survive the recession?

Ok – so I admit it. There appears to be a recession. Yes, the media has mentioned it a few times. Yes, it seems to be a little too quiet around the office. And yes, I have seen the going out of business signs being posted on what seems like every corner. Most of them are smaller businesses. So, why will some small businesses not survive the recession? I recently did some research on how to survive a recessions and was surprised to learn several interesting facts. Some businesses come out of a recession in better shape than when they went in! That’s right. They are ahead of their competition. Many are lean mean money making machines when the recession finally ends – and are better positioned to become very profitable. However, none of this happened over night. The truth is – that during the recession, they were as concerned as everyone else about the bottom line – but instead of pushing the panic button – they became very strategic. Here are a few things that they did. Businesses that survived the recession: * Measured everything, their marketing efforts, their employee performance, their time management, their cash flow and their mark up and pricing matrix. * Continued to market their business (above all else) * Invested in systems – positioning themselves for effective customer and product management for future growth * Were patient. They recognized that “Robbing Peter to pay Paul” was a strategy that they may have to use – short term. Unfortunately micro businesses and small businesses are not all paying attention. They are panicking. Some are paying off loans that have interest rates of 3%. Ridiculous! Why not use that interest rate AND take advantage of lower pricing. An interest rate like this and lower prices can cut the final cost of a purchase by 50%. Others are discontinuing their marketing efforts entirely. There is no faster way to kill a business. Finally, others are burying their heads in the sand, hiding in the office and biting their fingernails. What a waste of time and energy! Why not take this time to visit clients, strategize on guerrilla marketing efforts and begin measuring your efforts. It has been reported that there are several companies that sell bargain goods who have increased their sales in the last quarter. Fast food is on the rise – yet middle of the road restaurants are suffering. Macaroni and cheese sales are up. You get the drift. However, upscale companies like ‘Coach’ that sells upscale accessories for women (purses etc) have recognized that they too need to do something – and have looked at bringing in cheaper goods to tide them over. They have reduced staff and closed stores that were not making a profit. Small business owners however, continue to astound me. They cancel advertising costing less than $20 a month – but continue to buy coffee at the local coffee shop. (Which has the ability to make them money, the advertising or the coffee?) Many are paying off their loans and paring services back so far that recovery may be impossible. For many, the recession is a perfect excuse to close a business they are really not interested in running anyway! So what does this mean in the end? It means if you consider the strategies mentioned earlier that the larger businesses use – chances are you will emerge from the recession with a stronger company. It also means that the people who are not dedicated to their businesses or whose customer service is poor, or whose prices are too high will have to close their doors. Finally though, the real trick to surviving the recessions is to recognize - nothing happens over night. Marketing efforts must be consistent and target your market correctly. When considering what you need to do to survive the recession – measure everything. Get rid of bulky, overpriced items and services whether you buy or sell them. Marketing is a 24 hour 7 day a week task. Finding better marketing strategies is a great idea. But getting rid of marketing all together is not a wise decision. If you don't know what to do - invest in good advice. There is no better time than now. You have the time - and need the help. Another option is to meet with your peers in a formal or informal setting. Get to know what is working for them. Share your expertise! Buck up people. Now is not the time to panic. Now is the time to get strategic with all you do, and be patient.

He knows the founding principles behind a great business

This past week we several adventures while on a trip to Winnipeg. (Note to self: Not all adventures are fun at the time - but always funny later!) We left on Sunday morning with the Coaching Coach and headed to Winnipeg to deliver a Small Business Seminar for Grand and Toy. After driving several hours we approached a small town in Saskatchewan (Assiniboia) that had a camping symbol by the highway. We decided to stop for the night. We followed the signs to the campground only to find it locked up - not yet open for the season. I sighed as I envisioned another night at the side of the road in 'no man's land' with the charming sound of trucks rumbling by all night long. This part of our adventure still has me shaking my head in wonder!. I can hardly believe what happened next! We pulled into the arena lot to decide what we were going to do - travel on, or find somewhere we could park for the night. It was then that I heard a car honking at us. Out jumped a middle aged man who ran up to us and began talking very quickly. His accent made it very difficult to understand him, but he continued to repeat himself until the weary travelers caught on to wht he was saying. It seemed he had followed us all through town trying to catch us. He knew that the campground was closed - and offered us his parking lot with hydro to park in. Wow, what a nice guy - I could not believe our luck! We followed him to the 'Starlite Motel' and plugged in under a flashing sign and several hundred Christmas lights pointing the way to his motel. I chuckled as I thought of him seeing us drive by and jumping into his car to follow us! And then I congratulated him. This man knows how to survive a recession. If the business did not come to him - he was going to go out and get it. (As a side note - the owner of the Starlite Motel spent 15 minutes telling us about all his renovation plans.) Yes I still went to sleep to the tune of trucks hitting the rumble strip at the stop sign about 600 meters away - but I saw the lesson in all of this. This business owner was so excited about his business he could hardly wait to tell others about it. He did not care if it was not perfect at the moment - all he could see is what it looked like when he was done. And he was not going to wait until it was peerfect to start bringing customers in. Why then would he chase an RV half way across town to invite them to plug in and park in his motel parking lot? You see - he had just purchased the land behind his motel and was starting to clear it to become an RV park. He was thinking ahead. Vision. Determination. Enthusiasm. These are the foundation blocks of a great business. Wahid Alnadi is the owner of the Starlite Motel - and soon to be the proud owner of an RV park behind the hotel. He also let us know, in broken English, that his website was #1 on Google. I will be marking this one down in 'future places to visit'. ( http://www.starlitemotel.ca )

Plagiarism in a blog? NO Way?

There is a whole new trend that has been going on for several years with social networking. Businesses are participating, writing blogs, using twitter, linkedin and facebook. In fact there are so many people who are doing this that it now becomes imperative to update and write daily in order to have anyone follow you. And it is race to see who becomes most popular!

This of course takes time. Time that many of us do not have. I get a blog up maybe once a week unless something has got my goat so to speak.

And something has definitely caught my attention.

I subscribe to Google alerts - a good idea if you have a business. It will notify you by email if it indexes something or it finds something on the web. This is often how I find out if there are articles about myself or Roaring Women posted online. In fact it was how I knew that a recent article was published in The Edmonton Journal, Vancouver Sun. The Province, The Montreal Gazette, The Hamilton Spectator and the Ottawa Citizen.

Today however I received a Google alert that definitely caught my attention.

It seems that a business owner in California, in her zeal to get 'out there' on the web has posted a blog. She has hired several students to populate it for her as she does not have the time. (which makes one wonder how authentic the blog or the business is.) The Google alert I received linked to her recent blog. As I read the article- I realized it was MY ARTICLE. Word for word. However the byline was attributed to the business owner.

I began to search the site and found 6 other articles from my site. These are copy written articles, written by myself. All of them were word for word. It was a clear example of theft of intellectual property.

As a business owner I know how important it is to be authentic. In fact my business not only represents my beliefs but also represents who I am - it is an extension of me. And maybe this is why when people get to know me, there is a trust built - and they become advocates on my behalf.

I do not take shortcuts. If you read something I have written - I wrote it. It is my opinion, or information I have researched or developed on my own. For this reason I do not blog as often. Although I write all the time - I get few opportunities to write an ongoing blog with any meaning.

The most incredible part of this incident is the name of the blog. (of the person who ripped off my material) Her blog is called "Becoming an Entrepreneur" and the page the article was on 'authentic branding'. It linked to a website for women entrepreneurs and the articles were also posted on this site as well. This clearly was not authentic branding. In fact it was a shortcut to her success. Her intent was to get as much out there as quickly and as often as possible to increase her own web and blog traffic. But at what cost?

To her credit when I called the owner of the blog, she admitted she had not checked the work of the students. She removed the articles right away. However this does not absolve her of responsibility.

What if I had not found the articles? How many other articles are not her own? How can she call this her blog if it is not even her writing?

Are we living in a time where there si so much information out there that the likelihood of getting caught is so small that we just do it because it is easy?

I really am at a loss for words. I had recently sent a sample of my work out to someone - knowing she would not copy and paste. And she has a group of friends who want to use the materials as well and agreed to do so for a fee. But they wanted to print the materials themselves. Now I am hesitant to send them the printable product.

The result of this incident? I trust people less. And then I examine my own actions. Have I ever stolen intellectual content? No. Have I ever used software that I did not pay for? Hmmmm.....

Heading off to the electronic store now. I need to replace a program....

I have one word left to say: Karma.

VISION - An interview with the 'Vision' expert, John Assaraf!

Have you ever had a destination that you went to on a regular basis. Many of us have had 'jobs' where we have had to drive to the same location over and over again. Sometimes we arrive at our destination and wonder how in the world we got there. We do not remember the majority of the journey, but we still arrived there. In fact, when a road is often traveled, it will develop 'tracks' where the colour of the road is darker or there is a dip where everyone's tires run. Just like vehicle on a roadway, our thoughts travel on pathways in our brain to and from destinations. These are called neuro-pathways. When we learn something new, we form a new pathway. As we do something over and over those pathways become well traveled and our thoughts follow them automatically. When you move your finger or your arm, you do not have to think about how to do it because you have done it so many times - your brains already knows where the signals need to go to make it happen. Interestingly enough, our thought patterns work the same way. And sometimes we get 'stuck' in a way of thinking that really does not get us to where we want to go. In fact 98% of what we think is subconscious - our brains are on auto - pilot. So what do we do when we consciously want to achieve something (go somewhere) and we cannot seem to get there? What would you do if when you were on a road trip in your car and there was a roadblock? You would take a different route, right? Well the same is true with our brains. In fact science has proven that we can retrain our brains! (Really? Yes - Really!) Wouldn't you like to know HOW we can do that? I mean if we can retrain our brains - doesn't that mean that ANYTHING could be possible in our businesses and our lives? Join us this week as I interview John Assaraf (of The Secret) on our weekly radio show. John Assaraf is an expert on retraining our brains! Her will teach us HOW we can get past the roadblocks that we experience sub consciously. We will be focusing on how to retrain our brains and the role that Vision Boards play in this process! SUNDAY November 30th 2008 8:30pm EST, 6:30pm MTN and 5:30pm PAC Listen in on your computer at www.roaringwomenradio.com You can tune into the show - and even call in with questions to speak with John by calling us at the guest call in number listed on the page. Don't miss this incredible opportunity to hear me interview John live and have the opportunity to ask your questions about creating a vision for your business or life!.

Bubble gum before 7 am can make your day a little brighter!

People have often asked me how I can jump out of bed and race to work every day. It is because I have these great little rituals that I do that make me smile! Most days I get up by 5:00 a.m and get ready, have a scrambled egg and pour coffee into my favorite pink coffee thermos and jump into my 'Roaring Van' and head to the office. I am in the office and firing up the computer by 6:20 a.m. at the latest. My little routine revolves around my cute pink thermos. I love it. It makes me feel pretty and successful. I usually only have one coffee a day, but it is always from my pink thermos! It is my morning comfort. All the way to work I go to that special place in my mind where I have created my destination. I re-create my living space, my office, my day and even add a limousine arriving at my door to pick me up. In other words, I spend 20 minutes creating my future - visually. That alone puts me in a great mood. When I arrive at the office, I am usually the first one here. I like coming in first because I get to set the tone for my day before anyone else gets here. I unlock the door, hang up my coat and head straight to the bubble gum machine I have on my desk! Then I decide which colour of double bubble I want that day and then with a look over my shoulder to make sure no one sees, I CHEAT and open the top of the machine and take the colour I want for the day. Then I dive into my work blowing bubbles and tapping my foot to the music on K-lite FM that I have streaming in on my computer and listen to Peter Jaycock's morning show! This whole routing makes me feel like a kid again! I have used my favorite cup, and gone out in the dark! Then I dared to sneak a bubble gum - all before 7 am! These goofy rituals brings some silly excitement to my day!

HOW CAN MY DAY GET ANY BETTER?

Success begins on the inside - just like happiness does.

A personal GPS

Today I was driving – headed out to the mountains – just to rejuvenate and get a sense of perspective about life. It had been several months since I had made the trip and I knew I desperately needed the break. I was riding and about to pull out my laptop to do a little work while on the road when I was interrupted by a British woman’s voice reminding the driver to turn right in 300 meters. A little surprised, I then remembered the new addition to the van – a GPS, mounted on the dash. For several minutes I was absolutely engrossed in the visual and auditory map guiding us to our predetermined destination. A Global Positioning System. I was captivated by the accuracy and the features of this accessory. And when I mentioned that I found it hard to hear the voice over the sound of the traffic, my husband asked me to set the radio at 88.7 fm – and there was the voice now – over the entire sound system of the van! I watched carefully as the route was mapped out before us – and used the plus and minus signs on the touch screen to see bigger and smaller maps. It even told us how far we had left to drive, our speed and estimated time of arrival. Then I began to think about the reason for my daily sojourn. I was taking the day off to gain perspective – to see if I could determine my direction – check the map so to speak. Then I began to wonder what it would be like if we all had our own business or life GPS. What would it be like to get out of bed in the morning and set our destination for the day – and then have laid before us the map and the route we should take. We could punch in destinations like ‘success’ ‘enjoy the day with a friend’ or even ‘make a thousand dollars’ and before us would be the verbal and visual view of exactly how to arrive at the destination. Even better would be the functionality of warning us of the detours that we could encounter along the way – or even the possibility of bad weather or foul moods. What then would prevent us from reaching our destination? Then it became very clear to me. It was only ourselves of course that could prevent arriving at the destination of success – or whatever destination we had determined. If you think about it for a minute – when you type in your destination into the GPS – a specific set of directions pop on the screen – and then several warnings if there are weather or road condition concerns. And no matter how I tried – there was no way I could get the British woman to tell me that reaching that destination was impossible. The same thing applies to both our lives and our businesses. All we need to do is to decide on the destination, find the directions, watch for the warnings, bumps in the road and set out with the firm belief and understanding that we would arrive if we followed the directions. It is no more complicated than that. But many of us have our business or life ‘global positions service’ unplugged. We are so busy looking at everyone else that we fail to set our destinations. Your destination whatever it is – is in reach. So plug in and strap on. Turn on the radio and enjoy the ride. The directions may not always be as clear as you would like – but the destination is reachable. What destination are you in-putting?

Can you really believe in advertising?

While browsing the newspaper this morning, (which I try not to do too often for fear of starting the day discouraged) I saw the strangest ad. In the bottom left of a full two page news spread was a 2 inch square advertisement. The headlines read: "Why you can believe in advertising". The content directed me to a website - Advertising Standards Council of Canada, and also stated that this organization helps ensure the ads you see and hear are truthful. I wonder. How in the world can an organization like that oversee the millions of advertisements that run on TV, radio and in the news daily? How do they know that the content is in fact truthful and accurate? Do they really believe that this advertisement will helps us to have faith in or believe that the ads we see and hear are accurate? I hope not. Advertising as most of us know - is often loud, invasive and boring. Same old, same old sales, boxing day blowouts, white sales, inventory clear outs and 50% off days bombard us from every direction. It makes you wonder how these companies can afford to advertise AND offer 50% off. Perhaps properly marketing their goods at a reasonable price might be a better solution than a sale - or at least a start. The best advertising and marketing a company can do is to show me that they care about me as a customer. And that my friends, takes time and effort. Good marketing is not a fast buck scenario. Building trust with a potential client over a period of time reassures them - letting them know you care. Then and only then do you ask them to believe that what the see and hear is truthful and accurate. You can build trust with your potential clients by giving them good information, follow up and keep in touch with them. Building relationships with each and every one of them will put your business on solid ground. So, sorry Advertising Standards Council of Canada - your ad did not convince me. How do I really know you are ensuring that the ads I read, see and hear are truthful? Your 2 inch ad in no way showed me that you are holding advertisers to a standard. And even more ludicrous - is the idea that one agency could even begin to police such an industry. Self serving advertising like this ad went the way of the dodo bird because customers now want proof that advertising is accurate. People were tired of being ripped off and cheated. And they are showing it with their wallets. Businesses that are winning in todays market are those who continually build relationships with their customers. So the question remains: Can you really believe in advertising?