Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Year of the Ox Should Give Hope to Small Businesses

The Chinese New Year* began January 26 and with it we welcome a bit of hope for small businesses in 2009 as we celebrate the year of the ox. Rhonda Abrams of USA Today recently wrote that businesses can learn a lot from the ox, which is characterized by prosperity through hard work – an auspicious sign for entrepreneurs and small business owners.

Prosperity through hard work sounds too good to be true in today’s economy where we have become discouraged to think prosperity is possible. I say nonsense! Think like an ox! Even in such dire economic times, prosperity can be had if we commit ourselves to working hard for the results.

Abrams suggests that 2009 will be a good year to:
  • Start a company – sound lofty? According to Abrams, 16 of the 30 companies that make up the Dow Jones industrial average started during recessions or the Great Depression.
  • Hire people – we’ve all seen the job loss numbers and they seem to keep growing. Amazing people are out there, and they want a job now! They are more likely to be willing to come in at a lower salary with opportunities to negotiate three months down the road.
  • Rent or lease new space – according to Abrams, with high vacancy rates and plummeting commercial rents landlords are willing to deal, even offering months of free rent.
  • Negotiate – now is the time to drive a bargain on just about anything!
  • Gain market share – your competitors are cutting back on their advertising and marketing budgets; however, customers are still out there. Take over the market share and go get them!

To see what 2009 is not a good year for, check out the rest of the article at www.usatoday.com/money/smallbusiness/columnist/abrams/2009-01-30-year-of-the-ox_N.htm.

*In the Chinese calendar, each year is identified by one of the 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac. Predictions for the year as well as for people born during that year are based on the characteristics of the animal.

ProMoter Inc. can help you find success through the lean times. Give us a call (502-562-1969) or drop us an email (
promoter@promoterinc.com) to see how we can help your small business.

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