Showing posts with label recession. Show all posts
Showing posts with label recession. Show all posts

Sunday, 30 November 2008

How to Survive a Recession

There is no doubt that we are in a recession. What you have to answer for yourself now is what are you going to do about it? On your own, you can change it but you can adapt to the situation until things blow over.

Now how do we do that? Well the best thing to do is tighten your belt because the credit market is frozen so you won’t be able to get a loan for personal or for business purposes.

Recessions happen and you can see it and take the appropriate steps before it is too late. Here are a few tips you should know about to help you survive.

= If you happen to be in debt, get out as quickly as possible by finding ways to pay for it. If ever you need help, hire a financial consultant who can help you with your budget.



= We have to pay the bills. Instead of just paying for them, perhaps you should see if you can switch to another company that offers cheaper rates. Take a look at your electricity, gas, mobile phone, television broadband package, insurance and even your bank account then make the necessary changes.



= You should also make cuts on daily spending. When you go to the grocery, buy only what is necessary or switch to a cheaper brand. If there are items in promo, get it because they could be just as good or even better to what you are used to buying.


= One thing that every grocery always is people offering free samples. Since you are there, get some as this will surely save you a few dollars for other more important items. If the grocery you frequent gives out vouchers, make use of it as well.



= Do you always have to go out for lunch when you are at the office? Of course not. You can prepare the food at home and then take it to work. Your kids should also have a lunch bag instead of getting their weekly allowance so even at a young age, they understand the current situation.


= If possible, ask your employer if you can do some of the work at home. This will help you save gas since you don’t have to drive to work. Just be sure you are as productive at home like you are in the office.


= Owning a large vehicle may sound cool but since it is a gas guzzler, perhaps it is time to trade this in with a smaller one. The advantage of a smaller car is that you don’t burn that much gas so you don’t have to spend that much when it is time to refuel the tank.


= You can cut down your electricity expenses by replacing the bulbs to those that use lower wattage. You may also want to put the heater down by one degree, reinsulated the ceiling and stop drafts coming from the windows and doors.


= Cutting down expenses is just one way to survive a recession. You can make money from it by selling some old stuff or renting a spare room.


= If your work is not stable, perhaps you should consider switching to a career that will ensure better job security for the long term. One way is to go back to school.


= For those who have money to spare, invest in long term investments such as stocks or bonds. Their value will go up once the recession is over.


= The next best thing to do will be take an extra job. Just make sure that the time you spend here does not affect your primary job otherwise, you could lose it.


= Apart from going back to school and getting a second job, perhaps you can use your skills and then offer this as a service to others. If you like to cook, make some pastries and then sell these to potential stores. If you are good with your hands, maybe you can help repair leaks should your neighbor have a problem with their plumbing.


= If you want to reach out other customers, create a website so you can offer your products or services to other towns, states or even countries.



A recession lasts for months so you have to know what to do when it happens. For you to survive, you have to tighten your belt. If you don’t know how to do this or want to learn more, it is best to hire a financial adviser who can come up with a plan so you can just follow it.


There are other ways to survive a recession apart from those mentioned. By following these tips and getting advice from a financial planner, you are sure to wither out this storm. Until that day comes, you shouldn’t live in fear but rather make the most of it because this isn’t the first time that you will face a recession and it surely won’t be the last.


Copyright © Anne-Marie Ronsen

You have permission to publish this article electronically, in print, in your ebook or on your web site, free of charge, as long as the author bylines are included.

free download
free ebooks
free software
free premium content
manual website submission
Drug Rehabilitation FORUM
FREE Quality Content

Anne-Marie Ronsen is the author of many wealth and self development books. Download FREE e-books from http://www.e-bestsellers.com, http://www.plrbestsellers.com or http://www.universalpublishingltd.com ...You will learn about the best tips and recommendations to improve your health, weight and wealth. You'll also discover FREE Premium content at http://www.ibestof.com/ and Manual Submission Directory at: http://www.webdirectorybank.com

How Your Business Can Survive a Recession

A recession affects everyone and it does not matter if you are employed or you are running your own business. If you don’t take the appropriate steps, you will have to file for bankruptcy and close.

No matter if your business is small or large, marketing is the best way to get your message across to the people. During a recession, you have to make cuts in the budget and instead of spending more on advertising, it is best to use this money in retraining your staff because customer service is key when you want to set yourself apart from the competition.

Fortunately, there are things you can do to prevent it from happening.

Focus on customer service. In any business, you have to entertain the customer so he or she will be able to buy from you. If you do this well, that person will come back and buy from you even if times are tough.

How do you focus on customer service? By retraining your staff and making sure they understand that this is the only way for your business to survive. Believe it or not, these people who you hire are the front line and if they don’t do well, the customer will just go in and walk out without buying anything.

You can train them by hiring someone from the outside to handle a seminar or workshop. If this is not within your budget, do it yourself and also give them a refresher course on the products or services that you are offering.

What is at stake for them? Their jobs because you can either keep them or put them out in the street making them one of the 9 million who are now unemployed in the US.

But this is not enough. Since you are the boss, lead by example. Work longer hours because your staff will see the amount of effort you put in and with that, nobody will have the right to complain.

If you had to borrow money to start your business, see if you can pay these loans in full. If there are other things you need to buy, see if you can get longer credit periods or better rates so large expenses can become smaller ones making it easy to manage.

Cash is hard to have during a recession. If your business does not use credit cards, now is the best time to get one because most people carry less than $500 in their wallet and have two or three pieces of plastic.

One of the hardest things to do during a recession is to cut down your profit margins. By doing this, people will be able to buy more. When things are improving, you can return these back to their normal settings.

During a recession, you must still be able to promote your business. You can do this by finding other ways to advertise like creating your own website or distributing flyers instead of paying for ads in the newspaper or billboard.

There are other ways to stay afloat during a recession and you may not have the answers so talk to other business owners and see what they are doing. Some of the steps they have taken may be applicable to your situation and you won’t know that until you try.

The current recession is not only a problem in our shores but also around the world. As you are reading this, companies are continuing to cut jobs and those who are having a hard time paying for mortgage are losing their homes. You could lose your business if you don’t take drastic measures because this is the only way for you adapt with the situation and survive.


Copyright © Anne-Marie Ronsen

You have permission to publish this article electronically, in print, in your ebook or on your web site, free of charge, as long as the author bylines are included.

free download
free ebooks
free software
free premium content
manual website submission
Drug Rehabilitation FORUM
FREE Quality Content

Anne-Marie Ronsen is the author of many wealth and self development books. Download FREE e-books from http://www.e-bestsellers.com, http://www.plrbestsellers.com or http://www.universalpublishingltd.com ...You will learn about the best tips and recommendations to improve your health, weight and wealth. You'll also discover FREE Premium content at http://www.ibestof.com/ and Manual Submission Directory at: http://www.webdirectorybank.com