What a year, eh?  Between the ups and downs of the economy coupled with the normal cycles of our lives, I’m sure, like myself, it has been one heck of a ride for you.  So – what’s in store for 2009?

You can look at last year as one of despair – but I prefer to look at it as one of opportunity.   The world keeps on spinning, and nothing that cataclysmic has occurred to make it stop.  Sure, we’re all in some sort of survival mode but we should use this as a chance to become smarter – to look for new ways of doing things and communicating out.  New ways to network and enter markets.  It may just be a matter of, as cliche as it sounds, reinventing yourself. 

Whatever you do, do something. This is not a time for complacency – regardless of your situation.   Don’t just sit there and wonder when the other shoe is going to drop.  Go buy a new pair of shoes!  Create your destiny, don’t wait for it to drop in your lap. 

You and you alone are responsible for your successes in life.  We have come out of a decade of crazy prosperity (the 90’s) to one of relatively stable security.  Now things have gotten a little or a lot tougher than what we’ve been used to the last couple of decades.  What next?

Andy Grove was once quoted as saying, “Bad companies are destroyed by crisis.  Good companies survive them.  Great companies are improved by them.”  We always have a choice in how we react to adverse situations and circumstances – to be destroyed; to merely survive; or to grab hold of the opportunity to become better and stronger than ever.

As you head into 2009, which path are you choosing to go down?

No matter what you choose to do, here’s to a happy and prosperous new year for all of us!

Welcome to our new website and blog!

As someone who has come out of corporate America and is now one of the “little guys” in small business, it is interesting to note the differences and the similarities. It is also interesting to discover what I truly love to do versus what I’ve tolerated doing for the sake of a paycheck.

The beauty of entrepreneurship is that you’re allowed to obsess over the things you love. You still have to do the dirty work – unless you’re making enough to outsource it, like accounting – but at the end of the day, you get to work in activities and events that you have passion about, that you truly have a vested interested in, personally and professionally. There is no better feeling.

So for now, the foray into self-employment is filled with anticipation and excitement. In other words, I’m in the honeymoon phase. But that will wear off at some point, and I know I need to move quickly toward looking for ways to keep things fresh and exciting. Otherwise, it can fall into a rut, become stale and lifeless and, if not tended to, will not be worth doing anymore and simply fade away.

All of you, whether you’re in business or running a non-profit organization, are in one of these phases right now. Which one are you in?

• Are you looking for help to get off the ground or have started and have that feeling of “now what”?
• Are you looking for ways to keep things fresh and exciting to keep growing?
• Are you feeling like you’re in a rut and need a change for fear of fading interest on the part of you and your clients?

All of these are legitimate questions. And all have actionable answers. In today’s economy, you have to stay on top of your game. In an environment of keeping your head above choppy waters, sometimes it’s hard to stop and assess the situation, for fear that lack of activity means you’ll go under. The last thing you can even think about, let alone do, is to stay calm. But it doesn’t work that way. If you don’t give yourself the time and space to stop thinking about and reacting to your current situation, you’ll never be able to figure out how to get out of it and move on. Sometimes you need a little help. And sometimes, you just need to talk it out.

So seek out those “trusted advisors” in your life – a friend, a colleague, a mentor, maybe even a friendly consultant – and talk to them. This economy is a scary place right now. The reality is that you could make it on your own, but it’s a lot easier when someone’s in your corner – helping you along, talking you through.

As one of the “little guys” we all need to stick together and help each other along.

Who are the trusted advisors in your life?