Yesterday the world witnessed history with the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States. President Obama promised change in America and change in the world if he was elected. We elected him and he’s already providing change in the first 24 hours.

Yes there are the executive orders he executed seconds after he was sworn in (with the wrong oath of office, thanks to Chief Justice John Roberts!). He also froze the wages of the White House staff and turned on a brand new look to the White House website

But I’m talking about real change. The change that matters to all of us.

What change am I talking about?

I like to visit my local Starbucks daily, sometimes a couple of times a day. A few months ago I could barely get in the door no matter what time of day I went. Business was booming at Starbucks as we satisfied our caffeine addiction. The economy was flying high and so were we!

Then the economy tanked and Starbucks was empty no matter what time I went. Did the economy cause a slowdown at Starbucks or did Starbucks cause the ecomonic slowdown? I don’t know for sure but something really exciting happened today when I went to Starbucks.

The store was packed this morning. The line was out the door. Every table was full, inside and out, even though it’s cloudy and cold this morning. The energy level was incredible and you could feel the buzz across the parking lot. Everyone was in a great mood and chatting away. Just like the old days (2 months ago!)

I have no scientific evidence to prove my assumption but I really think the increased business today was caused by the inauguration of President Obama. He’s lifted our spirits with his enthusiasm and charisma. We have hope that everything will be okay and faith that he will lead us out of this horrible economic disaster.

So what do we do to celebrate? We run out to Starbucks and spend some money!!

It’s hard to believe we’re approaching a New Year already. I have to say I’m glad to say good bye to 2008 because it’s been a challenging year for all of us.

We experienced the biggest housing crisis in decades, a worldwide financial meltdown that bankrupted some of the largest companies in the world, unemployment levels not seen in years and a presidential race that will change the face of US politics forever.

While many businesses are laying people off or closing their doors, other businesses are thriving. The other day on CNBC they were talking about our economy “resetting” not drifing into recession and/or a depression. We’re way beyond a recession they said. The “reset” will change our lives forever, personally and professionally.

Traditional brick-and-mortar businesses need to adopt to the internet economy or they will not survive. Competition is fierce and margins are slimmer than ever. Online businesses have little overhead so their margins are higher.

Amazon.com had its best holiday season ever while traditional brick-and-mortar stores are giving 75% discounts to liquidate their stock. The internet is here to stay and you better get on the bus now.

Take a look at your business and create a plan to build a strong internet presence in 2009. No matter what business you’re in, the internet will increase your bottom line if you create a strong plan and implement it.

In my next post I’ll help you get started on creating your plan for 2009. Go out and have a good time tonight and say goodbye to 2008 and get ready for your best year yet.

Recession, the R word, is everywhere. The sky is falling and every business is dying and we’re all going bankrupt. Run for cover because this may be the end for all of us!

People hear the word recession and they panic. The press gets ahold of something and makes it seem a thousand times worse than it really is.  There’s so much conflicting news out there and the press just tries to scare the crap out of us. The bottom line is that if you provide a high quality service that solves your customers problems you’ll thrive in any economic environment. Many businesses thrive during recessions by providing products and services absolutely need and can’t live without. Business owners should look at what products and services they provide and add some recession proof items to their menu of offerings.

I found a great list of 107 free or low cost things you can do to market your business. Check out http://netbizexpert.com/r/107 to see this great list compiled by Walt Goshert. It’s a great list that should stimulate some ideas how you can thrive in any economic environment.

Technorati Tags: recession, recession proof your business, small business marketing, marketing

The media is pounding the “[tag-tec]recession[/tag-tec]” word into our heads. Turn on the television or radio and you’ll hear it. Pick up your newspaper or any business-related magazine and you’ll see it. The internet is full of the "R" word. Technically we’re not in a recession but we sure feel like we are. The media grabs our attention by constantly screaming doom and gloom at us.

The [tag-ice]economy[/tag-ice] is tanking. [tag-tec]Gas prices are soaring[/tag-tec]. Foreclosures are breaking records every day. [tag-ice]Housing prices[/tag-ice] plummet. [tag-tec]Unemployment[/tag-tec] jumps. The war will never end. [tag-ice]Global warming[/tag-ice] is melting the polar ice caps. Murder rates soar.

Watch your local news tonight. The first 15 minutes will be full of doom and gloom stories. Then you’ll see the weather which will be full of extreme weather stories and huge storms. The sports will follow with story after story about athletes that were caught cheating or breaking the law. They’ll squeeze in your local team’s results but the majority of the time will be focused on negative sports news.

Feel good stories rarely make it in your local news except at the very end of the newscast. One cute story about firemen rescuing a cat from a tree or a local girl scout troop that sold more cookies than last year will end the newscast. Katie Couric experimented with focusing on positive news when she became the evening news anchor at CBS. That experiment lasted only a few weeks as the ratings plummeted to last place.

So if the media is pounding the “[tag-tec]recession[/tag-tec]” word into your client’s heads, how are you going to get them to spend any money? If they’re watching the news, they’re scared to death and afraid to spend any money.

You need to focus on the positive and be the bearer of good news. Now is the time to be communicating with them. Give them some good news. Lift their spirits. Send them a joke. Give them a great deal. Do something. Do anything to lift their spirits. Now is the time they need to hear something positive and they’ll remember you for a long time if you’re the one that lifts their spirits.