If you can’t air your gripes on your blog, where can you air them? I’ve been a small business owner for 30 years. Before that I worked in various capacities for a series of companies ranging from tiny companeis to very, very large ones. In the thirty years that I’ve been a small business owners, I’ve had clients that were very, very small and clients that were among the very largest companies in the world.
When business is slow, you don’t just sit in your office and say “Boo hoo. Demand is low”. You hustle. You advertise. You develop new products and services. You hire salesmen. You improve your commission plan. You go door to door if necessary looking for new business.
That’s why I don’t understand the explanation of the low level of business investment as due to low demand. I don’t think that’s a sufficient explanation. I’m using that word advisedly. It may be necessary to explain low business investment but I don’t think it’s sufficient. There’s got to be something else at work.
Low ROI I can understand. Low appetite for risk-taking I can understand. Doing all of your investment overseas due to better opportunities I can understand. Not investing due to low demand I can’t understand.
Hi David, I agree with you wholeheartedly. I’m in the process of rebranding my business and finishing a small book. I’ve had to work twice as hard, with very little return in the short term…however, I’m laying the ground work for a much expanded line of offerings. I’ve added your blog to my Google RSS feed, so now I can keep up. Also, thanks for recommended Anonymous and Master Roger—I wrote a short-short review at zenpundit a few days ago. Cordially, Scott
You could always call yourself a solar company and get yourself a half a billion dollar government guaranteed loan. Seen their offices? Cushy stuff….
So when no one is buying your product, you hire more workers and make more stuff? Or, let us take this to the extreme. You believe that if you make it, they will buy it? Demand is never constrained? People will ignore their debt load and buy, buy, buy even if the economy has had a shock?
I think business is a little more difficult than that.
Steve
Drew, That is an excellent idea! Why didn’t I think of that?!!:))
Have I made it sound easy? It isn’t. I’ve made hundreds, maybe thousands of cold calls. I’ve sent out tens of thousands of mailings. Hundreds of ads. Conducted seminars and workshops. Sent out newsletters. It is what people who are in business do.
And maybe the product or service you’re selling just isn’t saleable anymore. Then you’ve got a choice of getting out or changing your product or service. That takes investment of money, time, and sweat.
But you don’t just sit there on your duff and say, “Tut, tut. Low demand”.