Unfortunately, the value of business networking events and social media is being pecked away at by folks who are forgetting how to be people at events. Go to any big business networking social event nowadays and you’ll find denizens of folks armed with smart phones and business cards who are ready to pounce on you at any given moment, motivated by only one goal – to promote their own business.

As professionals, it’s important to maintain a level of social respect and integrity, knowing what kind of networking event we’re at and making sure we behave appropriately when we’re there. However – that also extends a few miles further down the proverbial road – to how we treat the people at those events.

In such a technology-driven society, we often add people ad-naseum to our networks that range from good buddies and close business confidants to some guy with a tupe that you met for five seconds at the last networking event. It’s important to keep in mind that there are a lot of different kinds of relationships that exist once you cross over into person-to-person/real world networking world.

In a way, networking is like a safari. Except instead of encountering lions, tigers and bears, you have different species of networkers, all of whom should be approached in different ways. This month, we’ll talk about some of those species and how you approach them, but also mention some universal tips that work across all networker-types.

Here’s your three basic species of networkers:

The friend – You can talk business with this person, but you can also share personal information. Usually this is the kind of person you slap backs with, have fun with, attend social functions together, etc. Most kinds of conversations are accepted. Business is easy to do with this person, you often connect each other with valuable people, look out for each other’s interests and all in all, have a great relationship with already accepted and established boundaries.

The (Potential) Business Associate – Is a great person to introduce yourself to, exchange information with and connect online. If you’re both busy doing non-business things, it’s probably more appropriate to connect with them later online. You’ll always be more successful and productive in a business sense with someone if you can respect the person’s space. Be aware of the kinds of conversations you’re having with this person. You’re still in the building stages of your relationship. The latest bathroom joke or funniest new “Bush/Obama lol” jokes probably aren’t a good idea. Figuring out how you can help each other grow business referrals? Completely appropriate. Just always err on the side of caution as to when you do that.

The Connector – This is the person in the room almost everyone knows and/or wants to speak with. Some folks congregate around them, others wait patiently. Others like to call them ‘door dwellers’ because when they come to the event – they don’t make it past the door due to the throngs of people who want to say ‘hi’. They spend the whole night backed into a corner. Say ‘hi’ but move on and connect with them later online. Don’t get lost in the shuffle trying to vie for time. The best approach with connectors is to see if you can set up a time to speak with them one on one outside of the event.

Beyond those relationships, here are some things to keep in mind:

Be cognizant of your boundaries – It warrants repeating. Just because you both might be tickled pink over a picture of a guy landing crotch-first on a railing online, does not mean you’re bosom buddies when you meet.

Leave the agenda at home – There isn’t anything more irritating than someone who’s relentlessly driving a conversation back to their usually shabby sales pitch. Don’t cannon-ball into conversations feigning interest, only to pitch them later on. If you want to pitch the person then pitch them. Just don’t do it then. It’s rude.

It’s not about ‘getting something’ – Asking someone to ‘do something’ for you is really lame. Don’t expect to get things from them. Look what you can do for them. BNI might have clobbered the ‘givers gain’ line to cliché proportions, but you know what? They’re right!

“I need space” – If there’s someone with whom you’d like to build a connection with, by all means do so, but don’t monopolize their time. And if they’re pressing the ‘eject’ button and obviously looking to move on, don’t follow them. Let them be and follow up with them some other time. It doesn’t mean they don’t want to talk to you. It’s that ‘now’ is probably a bad time. Respect that.

Not every event is a business opportunity – I know that might go against what has been relentlessly hammered into your brain, but honestly, don’t give someone a pitch at a fundraiser or charity event. When you’re someplace where people are coming together to support something else (cancer research, autism, etc), then support that. Not you.

Don’t be a contact poacher – No matter how hard you try, you’ll never be able to cultivate strong relationships with everyone in the room. It’s better to spend quality time with 6-8 people (At a 2 hour networking event, that’s 20 minutes a person) and cultivate relationships that way. When I see someone spamming business cards, when they get to me, I always say ‘no thanks’. They’re clearly not interested in anything that anyone has to offer other then what they’re hocking.

Talk to the event hosts and ambassadors – Honestly. These folks are virtually all one person away from everyone in the room. You’ll save yourself a lot of time and energy looking for the right people for you to talk to by ASKING the people who’d probably know best. Not only that, but you’re also connecting with folks who are natural movers and shakers. Two birds. One stone.

Keep those rules in mind and you should be well on your way to creating and cultivating a whole swatch of successful business networking relationships!

Hunter Golden is an independent copywriter & marketing consultant and owner of Write Stuff Copywriting. He helps companies and organizations who want to become INCREDIBLE communicators. For more information on Hunter or if you’re interested in having him write for your company, contact him at hunter@writestuffcopywriting.com or go to http://www.writestuffcopywriting.com today!

Each individual state has its own alert page – including the US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C. Facebook now have the option of signing up to receive alerts for their geographic location.

How powerful has this system been? According to reports yesterday out of Roanoke, VA, a 12-year old girl was returned to her family after an alert was read on Facebook. That’s pretty incredible stuff.

This isn’t the first time a social network has dabbled in something like this. MySpace had a similar program a few years ago, but with the explosion of Facebook, the potential for this program is far greater. Facebook has thrown its full weight behind the project, donating $500 million in advertising impressions to promote the program.

While I wouldn’t go as far as to say this’ll be hitting the market soon, within the next 3-4 years, it’s a definite possibility. According to Apple, they’re saying that the patent will likely touch all of their portable devices, from their laptops to iPhones. Recently, solar power seems to becoming the new rage amongst tech companies, with Samsung even going as far as to give out solar-powered device chargers at CES this year during their press conference. Solar-powered Bluetooth headsets have been knocking around for some time now.

However, there’s much room for improvement. The efficiency of the solar cells themselves needs to increase by a large margin, and until that happens, you’re not likely to see that happen anytime soon. The coming developments should be interesting, though.

Not so much.

Sadly, a lot of people think that by using a tidal wave approach to their content marketing, that they’ll get found more easily. That’s just not true. Simply turning out articles and blogs on a frequent basis isn’t good enough. Content isn’t king. Quality content is.

Usually when I tell folks that, their shoulders sag and they begin to moan about how they ‘don’t have time for it’ and that ‘no one would read it anyway.’ Think like that and you’re never going to get anywhere.

I tell my clients to think about content marketing as a great, big dirty megaphone that can help them relay their message to places other marketing mediums simply can’t reach. Once you begin to realize the places you can go, you begin to understand its full potential. If your readers can see your content on the internet, they are more likely to choose you over your competition.

This week’s post discusses some of the little things you can do to generate content that’ll get you and your company noticed.

What is content?

Content can literally be anything. It can be white papers, reports, articles, videos, blogs, FAQ’s or even a form of audio content.

What will work for you? That’s for you to decide. Each medium comes with its own unique set of benefits and detractors. As a general rule though, I advise you try a little of everything.

Remember – everyone learns and absorbs information differently. Some people prefer video, some are auditory learners and others just like to read the information. Keep that in mind – offering content in a variety of formats can be valuable. Try and offer ‘a little something for everyone’. Eventually you’ll find what works best.

How to make it rock

1.)    Don’t get promotional – There’s nothing worse than going to someone’s blog and reading about how great their services are or how they can help me put a leg behind my head. I know all of that, already. That’s promoting your company – NOT producing content that promotes your company

Also remember that customers buy for their reasons, not yours. By giving away valuable information, you’re showing yourself as an expert in your field that’s open and approachable. That alone places a value on you and your knowledge without having to get into the hyper-literal.

2.)    Stay relevant- Again, the customer buys for their reasons, not yours. The information you pass along to your customers has to mean something to them. Before you write any piece, consider what you want to accomplish by writing the atricle. What do you want to happen as a result of it? Who is it being written for? What’s their hot-button? Take the time to understand what the reader wants before you produce the content.

3.)    Make sure it reads well – You’re not re-writing Charles Dickens here, but it should read well and be a strong reflection of you and your company. It should be engaging, grammatically correct, and interesting. I know this SHOULD go without saying, but you’d be surprised at all the SEO junk floating around the internet these days that hurts the company it’s penned for more than it actually helps them.

The difference between a well-written piece and a bad one can be (literally) the difference between producing a mini-lead farm and scaring away a prospect for life. Take the time to write it well, have others look it over OR, if you don’t have the time, farm it out. Either way, the internet is the first impression most people will have about your business. Put your best foot forward.

4.)    Stay relevant to your market – As your readership grows, it’s important to remember what’s bringing these folks back. Don’t be dipping into areas that don’t apply to you or something your company doesn’t do. For example, I’m a writer and marketing consultant – not a car salesman. Not only would I look like a dope trying to promote a vehicle on here, it wouldn’t mean anything to those of you who come to this blog to read stuff about marketing. Stay on track and stay focused on what you do.

5.) Promote your content – Get the word out. Use free article submission sites, use social media, PR, Optimize your content – do what you need to in order to get your work to stick out. If you’re going to write it, promote it. If you’re not, what’s the point?

So if you really want to get the most out of content writing, sticking to those basic rules can help immensely. Write regularly, write well and write relevant. Then just keep slogging. The results will come!

We’re in a period of great economic transition but not for the reasons you’d think. From the physical to the virtual, from credit back to cash, from industrial to digital, you’ve probably heard all the reasons as to shy we’re shifting, how we’re shifting and what we need to do to shift through it. But perhaps the biggest shift no one wants to talk about is the attitudes of the modern consumer and the impact that technology has had on them. We’re not merely talking about a systemic change. We’re talking about a meta-physical change that hasn’t just impacted what we do, but how we do what we do as individuals. No group has been impacted more by these shifts than the millenials. And as we transition through to a modern economy, nothing is more important than understanding them and how they operate- who they are, what they value and what makes them take action.

Millenials are the group that came of age in the 2000’s, and for the purposes of this article, we’ll call them the 25-35 year old demographic. The factor that differentiates them from those that came before is that they’re born techies. They came into adulthood with all the modern amenities.

No typewriters or rotary phones here. No sir, this group came fully-wired with laptops in their backpacks, cell phones in their hands and a healthy disdain for all things print medium. They are nearly 72 million strong and have $200 billion dollars to spend – today. They’re in the work place, have money and are ready to spend it, but don’t think for a minute that they’re as easy to please or as willing to  pay as the generation behind it.

“They want to believe that they have uniquely discovered the things they like,” said Carol Phillips of Millenialmarketing.com. “The key to marketing to this group is recognizing that if it’s popular and everyone is doing it, they have no interest in it. To reach them and their friends, it has to be offbeat, underground and accompanied with a shrill rebel yell.”

Social media is truly a huge part of their lives. 82% of all millenials use Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and You Tube on a regular basis. 38% of their internet time is spent on Facebook and though they don’t watch TV as much as previous groups, things that happen on TV are a substantial chunk of what they talk about online. They don’t read magazines or newspapers, but if you can slap it on a cell phone – they’re there.

Perhaps most disturbing to marketers and business owners is that according the  Lubin School of Business,  over 84% of all millenials don’t recognize advertisements in print or online. That’s right. They’re so inundated by traditional marketing that not only have the tuned it out – they barely realize it exists. Ouch. The good news about marketing to millenials, is that once they get a hold of a trend, the rise is meteoric. The downslide can be just as fast, as once they’ve found a new golden calf, they’re off.

So what to do?Well to tame the beast, you first must understand what drives it.

Milennials are …

• Wired worldwide through internet global connectivity. They thrive off the internet, mobile devices and all things which make life easier. They’re connected to others in a way that no other generation has ever been connected before.
• Influential- Younger professionals and members of this group can move and shake better than you think. Gone are the days of the squeaky voiced intern. Because of their affinity for social networking and love of working collaboratively in groups, they are incomprehensibly powerful in numbers. While they haven’t had the best at showing up to the polls in the past, you should expect that to change if it hasn’t already. Even slight involvement in the 2008 Presidential election dramatically tipped the scales. Their newfound (or untapped – however you want to consider it) political power is incredible. If the baby boomers used ‘flower power’, this group by comparison is driving a lawn mower through a garden. This is both good and bad.
• Tired of culture wars – Again, this is a social group driven by the things that bring them closer to others, not further apart. This is a group that helped elect the first African American President of the United States, experienced the explosion of hip hop, the mass immigration of Latinos, and live in a country whose biggest celebrity is an African-American talk show host. Color is a part of their lives, but unlike other generations doesn’t define it. Most don’t go to church, but they’re not bothered by those who do.
• They hate to wait- This is the same demographic that grew up with microwaves, after all. Waiting a half hour for a meal? Pfft. So last century. They want websites to load quickly and want you to respond to their emails. Today. In fact, Millenials communicate 80% quicker and more efficiently than their baby boomer parents.
• They crave personalization – From ringtones, to iTunes playlists to shoes and goofy rims on their tires, the more ‘me’, the better.  The more customized the experience, the happier they are.

Not to overwhelm you, but they’re also highly educated. That means that the usual sales tricks won’t work. This group KNOWS when you’re selling to them and if they even get the hint that you are, they’re off like lighting. This is a generation defined by sarcasm and skepticism. They are not entirely immune to marketing, but they just won’t be sold hype.

So all that being said, just how do you reach the demographic that makes up 46% of the US population but isn’t interested in the noise you’re making?

• Say it instantly – No elaborate sales pitch. No overly-involved ambiguous conversation that’s really a cute sales game. Cut to the chase, make your offer and make sure it benefits the person you’re talking to. Put in simplest terms – speak English. It’s a little old sales, a little new, but as I said before, this group is on the move, busy and sometimes impatient. They don’t have time to play games. This group is too busy to absorb marketing that isn’t already integrated into their regular communication habits. Say what you mean but above all – mean what you say.
• Don’t sell to customers. Sell to communities – Think of some popular brands out there today like “Red Sox Nation” or “WWE Universe”. Companies and brands are beginning to tap into the fact that millenials thrive in groups and value being a part of a group more than anything else – and it’s been incredibly effective. If you address your customer base as a community, you not only help build a brand that customers can trust, but you establish a more direct line of communication between you and your customers. Create a blog where readers can leave comments. If they sing your praises, great! If they tee off on you, even better! It’s an opportunity to be more responsive. Just look at Domino’s Pizza’s new ad campaign. It’s based on all their screw ups! It’s their delivery men chasing people down who hated their pizza. It’s their CEO being baffled as to why a pizza was smooshed in Milwaukee. It’s a human touch. It’s responsiveness. It shows that the customer’s input is valued. Embrace full disclosure regarding service queries and always be sure to remind your customers they’re part of something bigger.
• Is your website Millenial friendly? – If you’re not online, you’re not in position to be in business much longer. 98% of Millenials use the internet as their primary place to find and purchase services. If you do have a web site, what does it talk about? Does it talk about future opportunities? Is it more focused on you or your customers? Is it easy to navigate? Is it easy to find where to contact you? All these things are integral to the future success of your business in our increasingly digital world. Consider them seriously.
• Reinforce the connection – We hear it all the time: “We treat our customers like family”, but let’s be honest, at best, that’s usually a well-intentioned stretch and at worst, complete crap. However, there’s a benefit to taking this approach sincerely. A new study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project said that cell phones and the internet are now central components of modern family life and have afforded families a new kind of connectedness. You should want the same kind of experience for your customers. Learn from them, embrace them, and most of all – take chances on them. Remember, the customer buys for their reasons, not yours.
• Content is king – Give your customers the chance to engage your content in ways that enhance their lives. Relate your product to mobile trends in the marketplace. Doing so makes your interaction more fun, informative and in the long run – can be great for business. It’s not just having a big budget that drives internet marketing these days. Social media has become the great leveler. Now you have to be good to get noticed. Show off your knowledge in a way that helps your customers. Build trust, contribute to their lives and give back.
• Be honest – This is a cynical and jaded generation where the worst of the worst seem to be glorified while the person working hardest seems to be a thing of the past. The sad truth is being honest sets you apart from the pack. Millenials have X-ray vision and they’ll easily see through cheap ploys of you trying to be their friend. Ask for their opinion and really listen to what they have to say. While Millenials are an elusive beast, once you grab hold of one, the reward will be more than worth the effort.

This is certainly a group that needs seasoning. They need to be taught how to become better professionals just like the folks from previous generations were. In many ways, they’re more similar to previous generations than they are different, but the differences they do have are monumental. To casually toss aside the tremendous impact and influence that this group has now is to completely ignore the obvious changes and shifts in social attitudes. Like the old saying goes – ‘you’d better change with the times, or the times will change you.’

Hunter Golden is a professional copywriter/marketing consultant and the owner of Write Stuff Copywriting. He helps companies and organizations become INCREDIBLE communicators. For more information on Hunter or if you’re interested in having him write for your company, go to http://www.writestuffcopywriting.com or email him at hunter@writestuffcopywriting.com today!

The first was the ‘white-board resignation’ in which a 20-something office assistant supposedly quit her job via a series of emails to co-workers with photos that painted her boss as a lazy, sexist,  unproductive troll. The incident caught fire and went ripping through Twitter and Facebook – at the date of this publication, the incident is getting 360,000 ‘likes’ on Facebook. People identified with the girl’s situation and cheered her actions, despite the whole thing being revealed as one, big, fat hoax.

The second incident however, was all too real. JetBlue Flight attendant Steven Slater confronted a belligerent passenger about staying seated while the plane was ushered to the gate. When she laid into him, he went to the plane’s PA system, cursed back at the woman, thanked ‘those who have shown dignity and respect these last 20 years’, swiped two beers and slid down the emergency chute to freedom. Slater became an instant media sensation. Search his name on “You Tube” and you’ll find songs dedicated to him as well as a fund that is being raised to handle his legal expenses as a result of the incident. While police are beginning to poke holes in the story, there’s no doubt that it’s struck a significant chord with most Americans.

Fake ‘Jenny’ and sort-of-real ‘Steve’ have become pseudo working class icons for the overworked and underappreciated masses. Every American worker can identify with the triggers that drove them over the edge. Who hasn’t wanted to tell off their boss in a publicly humiliating way at some point in their career?

But times change. I, myself, as well as many of you, are business owners. You’re no longer the downtrodden gopher going home every night to stick pins in a voodoo doll. You’re the boss now, and the question is: Are your employees sticking pins in a doll that bears a striking resemblance to you at night? Yes, unemployment rates are unfortunately high and jobs are scarce, but that doesn’t mean you can get away with being a jerk.

The best thing you can do is to remember those bosses you’ve had in the past and avoid the behaviors that drove you nuts. In fact, during my darker days working for AIG, I distinctly remember getting an email telling me that my numbers were ‘pathetic’. The kicker? I led the district in sales not one month, not two, but for seven months running. Even better – I led the district that particular month in sales. I can’t imagine what the poor guy finishing in second must’ve gotten. So much for a hard-day’s work being rewarded. If that’s what you get for succeeding, why would anyone want to bother? Or how about a boss who took credit for someone else’s idea and hard work, or who lied to cover up their own mistake and instead blamed someone lower on the food chain?

Slater’s case was different. It wasn’t a bad boss who caused him to take action, it was a bad customer. One of the dumbest things we’ve been conditioned to believe is the mantra that ‘the customer is always right’. Sometimes, the customer is wrong – dead wrong, in fact – and it’s up to you to defend your business and your employees. Constantly caving to the customer’s demands is not engaging in commerce – it’s taking part in hostage negotiations.

Now, I’m by no means telling you to do what Slater did, but if these people are what My Grandfather used to call “BBs”, you have a choice: suffer in silence and risk losing the respect of your staff and customers, or tell the customer/client politely what you are and are not willing to do for them. When you don’t treat your own business with respect, why should your customers? Of course, there are the really, really bad customers. The ones like the lady in Toledo, Ohio who went on a rampage at a drive-thru window of a McDonalds when she was told that McNugget were not available.

These are really challenging times for everyone, business leaders and gophers, alike. People are frustrated, angry and some are flat-out struggling. We’re burnt out, stressed out and as a result- becoming more whacked out. The light at the end of the proverbial tunnel seems far off. There’s a significant leadership void in America. Too many so-called leaders whom we expect to look out for our best interests are busy looking out for themselves.

Everyone knows entrepreneurs lead the way when it comes to innovation and job creation. But there hasn’t been enough of that going around. We’re drowning in mediocrity and negativity. It’s hard to take. I encourage you to take control of your life. Tell the naysayers to shove it. When I hear someone moan about the economy and how it affects their business, I kindly tell them that I’m choosing not to participate. Build new and better realities for yourself and stay positive. Treat people with dignity and you’ll be surprised at how far you’ll go.

The claim, itself, was based on the fact that people (in particular, senior citizens) were left with the impression that if they bought more stuff from the company, that they’d have a better chance of winning the grand prize. Of course, all the letters say, albeit in fine print, that doing so won’t improve your chances of winning. Yup, you guessed it! Here we go again with another ‘I can’t read’ law suit!

Sure, not everyone reads fine print and not everyone understands what they read, but that shouldn’t be something Publisher’s Clearing House is responsible for. Now before I get hammered for being behind the big guy here, I should state that I’ve always thought their game bordered on being a scam. But, so are state lotteries and casinos, both of which local governments are more than willing to peddle. Just this past week, I was late picking up a friend of mine at the airport all because I got stuck behind someone in line at the local gas station who was purchasing $125 worth of lottery tickets (no joke). If Publisher’s Clearing House can get sued for hoodwinking people into thinking their dreams will come true for buying some things here and there, then can I sue the State of Massachusetts if I buy $1,000 dollars worth of scratchies and only win a $1? What about their web site that says there’s millions to be won? How would that be any different?

It gets goofier though. Just check out the press release from Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s office:

“One senior reported spending $2,126 on merchandise in one year in hopes of winning a prize, but never won a dime.”

“Another Illinois consumer said her 84-year-old father “is devastated each time he learns he is not the winner.” She told Madigan’s office that her father believes that he’s more likely to win because he makes purchases and receives personalized mailings from Publishers.”

As part of the settlement, the company is now required to check up on any senior citizen who spends more than $500 on their products in any given quarter. The company has to contact the person and find out if they’re still ‘with it’ or not and make sure they understand the rules of the contest. If the answer is ‘no’ to either, then they must be cut from their mailing list.

Now how in the blue heck is this even going to be enforced? Who’s going to make these calls and furthermore, who decides who makes these screening calls? How many people are we talking about, here? What constitutes being ‘sane’ enough to get junk mail? Who decides what the policies around the screenings would entail? Starting to catch my drift here?

My problem with the case isn’t so much that Publisher’s Clearing House shouldn’t be sued for being deceptive with its practices. They should be more upfront and honest about their sweepstakes. I get that. But when does a company’s responsibility end with something like this? Yes, they could tone down the hype and ban anyone over a certain age, but is that something they should really have to do?

And you want to know what’s even more preposterous about this? That $3.5 million dollars fine will be distributed to each of the 32 states that filed against Publisher’s Clearing House to recover investigative costs. Yup, you guessed it. None of the money will go to people who were actually wronged by the company. It goes right back to the State AG’s office. Talk about deceptive marketing…

Sad to say, but it’s become the latest addition to a growing casualty list of small businesses across the country. ComScore is reporting that small business is down 5.6%. They say that over 95% of that money has gone directly into the pockets of big box retailers. People like to blame it on the economy, but if the big retailers are seeing a substantial rise in profits, why aren’t small businesses seeing it, too?

I think it’s how they’re choosing to compete.

According to the National Federation of Small Businesses (NFIB), the poor economy has forced prices down. Fact of the matter is that small retailers can’t afford to make the price cuts that the big boys do. Old Navy can slap a 50%-off store discount on jeans, but what’s the small tailor in Greenfield supposed to do?

Since pricing is a battle that small businesses clearly can’t fight, they’re forced to compete in less measurable ways – service and community involvement. Take your local baker for example – who can make the kinds of cakes that the folks at BJ’s or Stop n Shop just don’t have the talent to do. I have a local hardware store I frequently go to instead of heading to patronize the local big box. Why? The service is better and when I have a project I’m clueless on, they give me the tools and materials I need to compete the job without lying to me about what I need. Try getting that kind of service at Lowe’s.

Fostering a sense of community is also vital for small business to succeed in 2010. Local businesses should be doing things like sponsoring local sports teams, giving to charities and supporting local fairs. All of these activities help convince locals to come to your store over the big guy. A local chocolatier has a brilliant marketing bit they use to keep customers in their stores – they offer free candy making classes once a month. Sure, the kids burn through supplies, but while they wait for their kids to make a mess, Mothers consume coffee and other goodies at full price. Awesome, right?

Without a doubt, social media has dramatically leveled the advertising playing field. Unlike big companies who have to check with the checker of the checker to post anything online, small businesses can shoot from the hip. That freedom and flexibility makes it easier for small businesses to get their name out, almost entirely for free. If social media wasn’t built for small businesses, then I don’t know what is.

At the end of the day, there are ways to compete and get through the bad economy. When people whine about the economy– I tell them that I choose not to participate. In a market with such uncertainty, people love small businesses because it reminds them of happier, simpler times. Just because you can’t price with the big boys doesn’t mean you can’t throw enough punches to thrive.