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Will you survive to profit from the recovery? Small-business owners are feeling cheerier these days. The National Federation of Independent Business's monthly member survey saw business owners' optimism about the future rise a couple of points in August, a change the organization described as a meaningful uptick.Similarly, American Express OPEN's Small Business Monitor survey saw a big jump in optimism. Back in March, 45 percent of respondents were optimistic about their near-term prospects--in September, that had risen to 55 percent. The OPEN study showed one troubling trend, though--a widening gap between the optimists and those who appear to be circling the drain. More small business owners said they're in danger of closing their doors--17 percent, vs. 11 percent six months ago. Prime reason: their personal funds are tapped out. So while a majority of business owners are seeing a light at the end of the tunnel, a distinct minority are feeling like they may not make it out into the sunshine. Business owners who feel bullish are starting to hire again, even in hard-hit retail. The Kronos Retail Labor Index, which uses Kronos's software to track actual hires among its major-retailer clients across the country, reports that nearly three hires resulted from every 100 applications submitted to clients in August, a 9 percent improvement since January, when retail hiring hit a three-year low. So forward-thinking operators are beginning to staff up again as the economic wheels slowly start to turn. It's time to ask yourself which camp you're in. Will you be ahead of the curve, or too late to the recovery party?
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| Posted under: Growing Your Business, Ideas, Money, Small Biz News
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I enjoyed the article - I am an optimist; I believe there's no better time than NOW to reap the rewards of our hard labor. Focus friends !
Jorge N.
Self-help SW used by folks like Tony Robbins: www.tradexmindnow.com
I work for a small business myself and we were really struggling to increase revenue and earn new customers until we got a GSA Schedule contract, which allows us to sell our products to federal government agencies and organizations. The great thing about selling to the government is that there is so much less competition for work among companies on the GSA Schedule versus the commercial market. Plus the federal government spends a great deal of money on government contracts for small businesses (over $90 billion last year) and stimulus spending will likely increase that number significantly (i hope) over the next year or two. We tried doing a GSA Schedule proposal on our own, but the process was far more difficult than we originally anticipated and we ended up hiring a government consulting firm called EZGSA (they specialize in GSA Schedule proposals) to create our proposal and they were nothing but professional the entire time we worked with them. Definitely something to look into if you're a small business owner or work for a small business.
Hey everyone, I own a small business too and I cannot believe how screwed I am getting just for paying my taxes. The government is taking that money and using it to employ and give benefits to government employees and I will never see a dime. That's fine and all, but is my social security money going to be there when I retire (ten years after all the teachers and postal carriers)? No.
I've had enough, and if you have too, please join me in joining (haha) The Free Enterprise Nation.
(http://www.TheFreeEnterpriseNation.org)
Great blog. Starting and operating a business in today's economy is not for the faint of heart. As a member of the Entrepreneurs Club of America, I have talked to numerous small business owners and they are seeing light at the end of the tunnel, but.....
Would love to post a blog or two from you on our TECA blog at www.tecaclub.com. Do I have your permission?
Kip Marlow
TECA
866-920-8322
The real question I ask the entrepreneurs I help is about their expectations, and are they grounded in market data...or wishful thinking.
This happens so often I wrote an eBook titled the 50 ugly truths of starting your own business...and why you should do it anyway. You can download a free copy on my blog at www.nosmokeandmirrors.com
Market driven expectations help market leaders grow.
Mark Allen Roberts
www.outbsolutions.com