Anyone can steer the ship in calm waters. But what sets today’s business owners apart are the ones who can maneuver the ship through the roughest of seas.

In these times of economic despair, business owners are watching their profit margins slowly deteriorate. With customers cutting back on spending, businesses have been forced to sacrifice their own employees for the well being of their companies.

But while a majority of businesses are failing during this current recession, there are some who have managed to ride out the storm practically unscathed.

For the most part, companies that became complacent and relaxed during normal times are the ones that are finding themselves struggling. Their biggest mistake? They didn’t come into this current recession with a strategy. Thus, they’re finding it extremely difficult to operate.

Like almost every industry, the cleaning industry has been affected by this recession too. In fact, businesses across the board have taken a hit.

I recently spoke with several jan/san distributors on how they are weathering this current economic storm and the suppliers who are doing well for themselves are the ones who used past experiences to prepare for these trying times. Learning from prior downturns, they say they made sure that they had credit lines lined up ahead of time and planned business strategies that would help them operate under uncertain circumstances. But even though they have positioned themselves to ride out this storm, they are still seeing a dip in sales — nothing they say they are too concerned about though.

Some economists predict that this recession will ease up before the conclusion of 2009. Business owners who manage to make it through in one piece should view the “Great Recession” as a learning opportunity. If businesses can make it through these times, they should be positioned to make it through anything.

Add a Comment