What one small business (mine) is doing during the recession

It seems like every time you turn around, another business is failing. Although my business is still alive, it’s definitely seeing a slowdown. Rather than bitch, moan, and otherwise complain, I decided that it would be more productive to spend the additional free time that I have preparing my company for an economic rebound. How am I doing this? Follow along, please. There will be a test:

First, I’m signing as many reseller agreements and partnerships with hardware manufacturers and software vendors as I possibly can. This will help my company be ready to take advantage of any possible projects by being able to offer my customers better pricing and availability than my competitors, as well as provide a new source of income. I’m thinking about adding a web store to the company web site (http://www.im4macs.com) to provide my clients and anyone else who is visiting the site with a quick way to buy the best products available for Mac and iPhone.

Next, I’m getting training. Not only am I taking advantage of reseller training, but I’m also planning on getting my Apple Certified Technical Consultant (ACTC) certification updated to Mac OS X 10.5. That may wait until the 10.6 classes are available, but I want to get updated soon.

Third, I’m spending time working on honing my skills in the area of web development. This site, for example, is getting me experience with a Content Management System other than WordPress, something that may help me immensely when I’m working with future clients.

Fourth, I’m working on improving my marketing. I’m doing some local advertising, and will soon begin taking advantage of some other low-cost methods of getting the word out about my company.

Finally, I’m using my business skills to work on a completely new and different business that my wife and I can hopefully build together. While I won’t get into the dirty details, this will be a business aimed at our love of travel.

When I hear about people who are unemployed or underemployed right now, I wonder if they’re just sitting around watching Oprah and feeling sorry for themselves, or if they’re doing as much as possible to improve their knowledge, their saleability, and their profitability as I am.