Being in business over the past several months has required leaps of faith, acts of courage and expressions of gratitude!

The answers have not necessarily been found in the Harvard Business Journal, but more often in the hearts and convictions of the business leaders.

One thing’s for sure, getting back to business as usual will be very unusual. We’ve seen significant shifts in consumer expectations, business models and the marketplace.

How do you turn the concept of “FEAR” into simply Forgetting Everything is All Right? When you’re mired down in fear, it’s easy to keep doing the same old business practices over and over because they used to work; only now you’re not getting the same result. Creativity and new solutions come from right thinking.

As Einstein once said, “We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.”

How will you know when it’s time to re-invest, rehire and re-invent?

The time is NOW! But, in order to do it successfully, you have to look at the attitude and thoughts you are projecting into the Universe. If you’re part of the pervading mantra that things are awful and will never improve, then guess what….That’s the result you’re going to produce.

You can throw money and people at the problem, but, if you and your organization are not investing for the positive future, creating new opportunities for yourself and your employees and thinking outside the box with new products and services, you will not attract the prosperity you desire.

Suggested Action Steps:

· As we look to the future, what are our true priorities?

· What’s our new game plan?

· How will we know it’s time to rehire and for what positions?

The time is now to take that leap of faith into the new economy. Examine your thinking, release the fear, and be one of those companies who makes a fortune in the coming months and years!

The Inspired Business Center can help propel your organization to profitability.

Call us at 303-456-0388 or visit our website at www.theinspiredbusiness.com

Preparing for the Recovery

As a result of the sharp economic downturn just experienced, most businesses operate on a bare bone basis.  As soon as economic activity turns around it will e necessary for most to hire right away because capacity is now so greatly reduced.

Before doing so, take the time to review your Cash Flow forecast and your Strategy position.

1. Cash Flow: When a business grows again, it absorbs cash; particularly when inventory, receivables have to be rebuilt after a bare bone period.  Building working investment is inevitable, but it quickly becomes an issue when financing is difficult particularly now when banks continue to sit on the side lines.

2. Strategy: Although this is a word that is not part of the every day vocabulary of most small and mid-sized businesses, strategy should be reviewed at this time.  Why? Because all businesses are exposed to change that occurs faster than ever before, and the crisis may hide those changes so to speak:

a. In a very disruptive crisis business structure always adjust.  The assumption is that when business    picks up again, the game will look the same, but permanent disruptions wil have occurred.  Be prepared.  Make sure you explore:

1. How your clients have changed during the crisis?  Have their own markets shifted?
2. How have your competitors fared?
3. Are there new competitors that are from outside of the traditional landscape?  When business is slow, companies often expand into contiguous markets; some new players may have shown up on your turf.
4. Are some of the players offering a different value proposition?  Disruptive innovation often appears in crisis times.
5. Has there been a shift in what your clients buy?  how they buy it?

b.  Have you reviewed how you do things?  Could you increase the value to your clients and/or increase productivity by changing your processes? Have you streamlined operations so you can now add business in the most effective manner?

c.  When you begin hiring again, will the next person you hire be doing the same job as the one you let go?  Or do you need different skills?

The end of a recession is a good time to review your business environment.  When things are still slow, prepare a plan on how best to manage cash flow to respond to the opportunities and build a profitable platform.

Working Investment and Payroll will quickly absorb all cash if you do not focus on productivity, through process improvements and efficiency investments.

By Alain Bolea

July 7, 2009

Alain Bolea is a member of The Inspired Business Center team; to view is profile please follow this link: http://www.theinspiredbusiness.com/team.html

This month, we received our new president, and from him the people of this country will have great expectations. Our country is in dire need of a strong leader who will lead this country in a new economic direction and out of the recession that we have been slumbering in now for a year. Barack Obama will need to be a strong leader with the resolve, confidence and leadership to guide this country out of its current troubles.

We as business leaders and owners need to have the same resolve, confidence and leadership that will lead our own into not just survival this year, but one of strength and prosperity. To reach our goals and objectives, we must act boldly with a well-designed plan to get everyone within our companies working together and going in the same direction. We must have faith in one another and never give up, work our tails off and change the direction of our companies, just like Barack Obama will need to do. It’s time for our new leader, and us as leaders, to act with the confidence and  boldness needed to change the direction of our country and our companies.

Michael Doyle is President of Brand Iron Marketing

“We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.“ Albert Einstein

In these challenging economic times, it’s easy to sink into negative, fear based worries and doubts.  But that kind of thinking got our nation into this mess.  So, it’s up to you to shift from fear to gratitude, from greed to service, from doubts to optimism.

It starts with noticing when you are buying into the comments of those around you, beginning to agree that things are terrible, we’re in the Great Depression all over again, blah, blah, blah.   When you are aware of how you are buying into the bad energy, STOP!  Take a few deep breaths and elevating your attitude to a higher level than the thoughts that created the problem.  Remember FEAR is an acronym for Forgetting Everything is All Right!

Happy Holidays!  Marla