In the midst of snow and cold, I hunker down to indoor work, paper work the stuff I will not want to be doing when the good weather returns.  So it is tax preparation, reports of the last business year, plans for the upcoming year and employee reviews.  At Irving House employee reviews are a chance to hear from them about their work and their plans, and to remind them of our vision and our operations and let each one of my staff know what I hope to see happen in this new year.

There will be no layoffs, but also no raises: I am keeping all compensation level with 2008.  Each of them knows their work and our general performance as a team will play a large part in our success this year.  That success will determine what kind of bonuses I am able to give at the end of the year.  Everyone gets it.  This is a good stretch of time: all thirty of my employees are happy to be here, have been working well together and know their jobs pretty well.  After eighteen years in business, I know this is a blessing, and could change for many reasons beyond my control.  But just now, I sigh with relief and pleasure.

I made a pledge on a moms’ political web site to speak and act positively this year.  This notion came from two sources: fatigue at hearing conditions on every statement of intent or action: “With the economy the way it is…” or “Until the fall I had expected to…” or “Considering the situation now…” and my husband saying to me in response to some similar statement spoken (inadvertently–) by me: “Your talking that way IS the problem!”

Yes, it is so: depression is a state of mind, and one we can change.

Granted, banks are skittish, granted unemployment is growing.  Yes, there are big troubles throughout the system.  But anyone in business knows a few things about money, especially those of us who are close to the ground: knowing our customers, knowing our staff.  The big guys may be in serious trouble, some of what they do or don’t do may affect us, but we are still able to work, to produce a product to sell.

While watching pennies may not be fun, and may be more necessary just now, it is possible, and it is a good idea anyway, even when times get better.  While negotiating selling prices is a challenge, it is possible, and in the cycle of commerce we are both consumers and producers, so while my guests are looking for the best deals, and I am finding ways to offer them, I am looking for great deals too, to keep my costs at a minimum.

The point is to keep moving, to keep selling and buying, marketing, experimenting, improving, planning.  It is our doubt that will bury us.  Our hesitation, our losing our faith in ourselves, in our employees, in our mission, in our customers, in the system can only worsen the situation.  Act as if until you are.  We should all act as if until we are.

Ben Saren is Co-Founder and CEO of CitySquares.com, the premier hyper-local search site for small businesses nationwide. Ben is also a guest writer on Local Search News and a a regular at industry conferences and within the Boston high-tech and entrepreneurial scene. Ben's actively blogs at Your Suspect, where he writes about his experiences and perspectives as an entrepreneur. Email this author | See all posts by Ben Saren

Tags | adaptation, depression, economy, recession