The Anti-Recession Blog

Survey Indicates Better Times Locking In

2009-12-21T17:00:00.002-05:00

Last week the Burlington Chamber (ON) of Commerce announced the results of their 2010 Economic Forecast survey of members. With a wide range of business types reporting the results are very encouraging. 92% of the respondents forecast that the economy will be the same or better than 2009 in the coming year. Of course that sounds kind of discouraging when you reflect on how tough 2009 has been for many businesses. But the great part of that number is that 62% said it will be better than 2009 in 2010 and only 7% predicted a worse prospect.

When asked about their own businesses, over 63% predict a better year in 2010 and only 11% are expecting a worse year. There are sectors who have been hit harder than others, most notably exporters and some retailers. We can hope as the market gains momentum that their impacts will be mitigated as well.

Interesingly the number one external factor that is rated to have the biggest impact on businesses of all types (almost 50%) is consumer confidence. With some employment improvements and continued low interest rates this should be a more positive situation and their predictions have a good chance to come true.

One of the real fears that everyone has is the potential for tax increases due to the massive deficits that governments are racking up. The only saving grace here is the low interest component of this debt and with discipline we should be able to start to see governments leveling out their spending soon.

So as we enter the Holiday Season we actually have much to celebrate on the economic front...and we can all continue to work to consolidate the positives in the year ahead...

Best wishes for a Merry Christmas and a very Prosperous, Safe and Happy New Year

Lee K

Keep Working At Progress

2009-12-11T14:19:00.002-05:00

Its been a while since I have had the time to add much to the blog, but that does not mean that there has been nothing happening. We find that more and more we are talking to clients and others who are saying that they are experiencing positive business growth. Many have taken new roads to keep moving forward and have looked for new avenues of opportunity.

Rather than bemoaning the difficult parts of their business they have looked to the components which have weathered the changes more solidly and redoubled their efforts to support these clients and to find more clients like them. Keeping in contact with this part of there opportunity base can pay dividends. Also, it is a time when many suppliers are looking for ways to move their products through the channel, so buying opportunities can be found which may make it possible to open up new routes to market.

Is it easy? No. Can it be done. Yes, many organizations are finding the ways to make it happen. It takes putting the effort in, thinking about alternative ways to move forward and perhaps shedding some of what you used to do. In the end you can be faster, stronger and have better results as a bi-product of shifting your focus to the places in your business where the best potential lies.

Keep up the hard work.

Lee K

Creative Advertising Can Win Growth in a Recession

2009-09-30T11:34:00.002-04:00

One of the truisms which is around is that those organizations which invested responsibly in their advertising and marketing activities in past recessions came out of the recession stronger and with growth as compared to their competitors who retrenced. A recent article in the BNET news feed regarding activities undertaken by Hyundia in the past few months deals with exactly this topic. While some competitors have been forced to retrench and reduce their activity, Hyundia has taken advantage of the opportunities presented to grow its market share, introduce new models and win converts to the brand.
To read more you can go to http://www.bnet.com/2403-13240_23-346169.html?promo=713&tag=nl.e713

On a personal note we are driving our second Hyundia and our daughter & son in law are driving one too. They have been reliable, comfortable and decent vehicles. I can understand why they have been able to win market share...the vehicles offer a lot of value for the money.

It will be interesting to watch in the next couple of years to see how Hyundia does as other brands come back to the market more aggressively, but for now they seem to have become winners out of a tough situation.

Lee K

Its Official - The Recession is Over

2009-09-18T10:22:00.002-04:00

We heard it fromthe Governor of the Bank of Canada and the Head of the US Federal Reserve...the third quarter is going to have a positive economic result in both Canada and the US. So what are you doing in your company to make sure you are contributing to this result. Are you talking to more clients? Are you putting on some better promos? Have you introduced some new products or services? How about trying some new web tactics? Whatever you do that can improve your operations, your market prescence and your business will also be a piece of making sure that the recession is really over.

We're going to keep the blog going for a bit longer to be sure that we can tell all of the wonderful stories about the turnaround...and then maybe we will rename it and start looking at how we make sure we all participate in the good times ahead.

Kepp up the good work!

Lee K

Even car sales appear to be improving

2009-09-02T15:26:00.002-04:00

One of the biggest stories of the recession period has been what the last twelve months have done to the auto industry. Long the darling of manufacturing and seen as an industry that constantly spun off billions in profits, auto manufacturing has been hardest hit throughout most of North America and potentially worldwide. A few niche players, such as Hyundia and Audi seem to have held on and even grown their markets in Canada, but almost every other manufacturer has been negatively hit.

We are now seeing stories of some of the auto markets returning to better times. Fewer stories about dealerships restructuring or closing...less about subsidies, (wouldn't we all like a few billion from government for our businesses), and more about product being bought by the public because they see some value in the delivery.

In our business, office technologies, we still see clients taking longer to make decisions when they buy, but if the product is matched to their real needs then we see purchases being made. Usually it is all about productivity...will the new product or service help their employees deliver value better and faster. Seems to me that this is a good by product of the pressure we face. Clients should be able to expect to be ahead after their purchase...in quality of delivery, in productivity and in reliability. Aren't these the kinds of base values which makes any of us smile when we buy. Why should it be any different for business?

Lee K

Bank of Canada Says Recession in Canada is Over

2009-07-24T14:15:00.003-04:00

Today's newspaper had a banner headline quoting the Bank of Canada Monitary Report, http://www.bank-banque-canada.ca/en/mpr/pdf/2009/mpr230709.pdf, which declares that for the current quarter they are predicting modest GROWTH. While it won't be a banner, it will be positive. Ford Motor Company, in the same paper was reported to have a profitable quarter in the past quarter, and not all of the profit was due to cost cutting and other structural changes. Much of the success has been winning business from other car companies who are in tougher shape and who have lost consumer confidence.

Speaking of consumer confidence....what do we think these kinds of headlines will do for it? We know that a large part of the problems we have faced have been due to the "chicken little syndrome", but in fact the ski has not fallen and many people, businesses and organizations are weathering and even prospering in the current environment. Let's keep up the effort; continue to seek new solutions to the issues we face and let's celebrate an upturn which we can all make a solid win.

Congratulations Bank of Canada for calling it early. Congratulations media for finally reporting the good news. Congratulations to everyone who has not given up and has worked to make things better economically.

Lee K

A Whole Page of Positive Headlines

2009-07-14T14:48:00.002-04:00

Its been a bit of time since our last entry, primarily because I have been on the road and a short couple of days of vacation time...and it is great to be able to post again with a continued positive outlook.
I noted in the business section of the local newspaper today (The Spec) that the whole main business page had positive focused headlines. What a change six months can make. The most positive article of them all predicted that we could see an actual change from recessionary data to a positive growth of up to 2.7 % in the next quarter. Now that is a pretty significant change that would have a real impact on people's perception of their world.
So if you have been wondering if the steps you have been taking to creatively respond to today's economic picture are worthwhile....take this stat to heart and keep on trucking.

Lee K

Bank News Starts to Show Some Good Signs

2009-06-03T16:49:00.002-04:00

It is interesting to see what is happening in the big world of major corporate finance. While in a normal time the filing for bankruptcy of GM would have been taken as a disaster in the strange new world of post collapse economics it gets interpreted as a good thing...in spite of the negative impact the whole process is having on government finances in both Canada and the US. The report below reflects some of this new thinking.

From a report by Citizens Bank (Canadian Chartered Bank).

NORTH AMERICAN: The Canadian dollar continued to move higher against the U.S dollar on Monday, hitting its highest level in nearly eight months as commodity prices surged on upbeat economic data from Europe and Asia. It is more of a U.S. dollar story as investors dumped the U.S. dollar after hoarding the currency during the worst of the global financial crisis. Investors have started to unload the currency because of continuing signs that the worst of the global recession may have passed, analyst said. Given the new month, a slew of economic data are due this week.

EUROPE and ASIA: The U.S dollar fell sharply on Monday, falling to its lowest level so far this year against the basket of currencies and the euro because optimism that the global economy is on the road to recovery is boosting riskier assets. Better than expected economic data from Euro zone and UK fuelled this notion and dented the U.S. dollar further. Highlight this morning: U.S. personal consumption for April, ISM manufacturing index. Euro/US expected range 1.4150-1.4250.

While I am not going to try to suggest I understand all of what is above, we can certainly see our buying power increasing as the Canadian dollar goes up...of course it could hurt our manufactured exports, but manufacturing has been hit so hard now will this cause any more problems? Or is it part of our adjusting to a new relationship based upon a higher dollar.

On the micro side I also see some positive traits as we see people simply getting on with their lives rather than being consumed by the negative economic story. Consumers are starting to become more comfortable with where things are and spending is going up in many areas. Even car purchases were up last month. Six months ago the sky was falling...today Chicken Little seems to have retreated and we can start looking forward to some sunnier weather...so do your bit and take a positive attitude and live like there is really a tomorrow...we can guarantee it will come.

Canadian Employment Grows

2009-05-08T17:05:00.003-04:00

While all of the pundits thought that the month of April would lead to further job losses in Canada it was reported yesterday that there were actually 36,000 new jobs created in April. Reports say a lot of these were in self employment. It strikes me to think that is good not bad. When people are working for themselves they tend to be more motivated, more prepared to take the risks needed to grow and potentially they end up with more satisfaction out of what they accomplish.

While one month of growth in jobs doesn't mean we are out of trouble yet, it certainly is a step in the right direction. When you couple this with the financial markets generally trending up a little and even oil prices (never thought I would ever say higher is better) are going up. This all shows the potential for being early signs of a general easing of the pressure.

For everyone out there that decided not to give up and has forged ahead to make the economy continue to work...I say thanks and way to go.

On a personal note my Rotary Club (Rotary Club of Ancaster, ON) took a flyer as well. We launched a new fund raiser in early March, called the Ancaster Rotary Trip-of-the-Month Draw. This lottery has a fairly high price as tickets are $100. Of course there is a very limited quantity and the prizes (a trip given away every month for a year and each ticket goes in each monthly draw), are pretty good. You can imagine the debate we had on whether this was a good idea given the economy. Well, we're not finished as yet, but it certainly looks like the draw can be successful, earn us some money to re-invest in our community and give some people a great holiday. We figure we are doing our share in stimulating the economy.

Keep up the good work.

Lee K

Lots Is Happening In the Economy

2009-04-27T12:39:00.004-04:00

Its been a couple of weeks since I last posted...sorry too busy to get at this each day...but that's a good thing I think. There has been a lot happening in the economy...the Bank of Canada lowered the Central Bank interest rate to .25% and announced it would stay there till next year. Now that is a significant event since it guarantees low interest rates for the next while. As credit becomes looser it will mean that more people and businesses will be able to invest and not have the interest costs be a millstone on their operating costs. It also will mean people will seek other ways to get a return on their capital, than just parking their money for very low interest returns. This should lead to more entrepreneurial investment as well.

We have seen a few weeks of relatively stable stock markets...the swings of earlier this year are leveling out and that is also a good thing. Confidence is fed by a feeling of certainty and stable markets will help.

Individuals and companies are continuing to be creative about how they are dealing with the impacts of the economy. For a short listing of how some have responded check out this blog posting at a complimentary blog to this one:

http://communitymarketing.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/04/how-25-professionals-create-success-in-a-recession.html#more This list highlights 25 respondents to the question: How 25 LinkedIn Professionals Are Creating Success In A Recession? There were many more responses, but these 25 are interesting to consider.

How are you responding? What actions are you finding the most critical and effective in attempting to build your business? Share your successes so others can be inspired to grow with you.

Lee K

The Anti-Recession/Refusal to Participate Movement is Catching

2009-04-03T16:37:00.003-04:00

We like the response we have seen to the Anti-recession message as others are joining the bandwagon. At a recent Burlington, ON networking event the hosts, a company called Fast Signs decided to give every person at the event a special bumper sticker. If you would like to see the message go to: http://www.burlingtonchamber.com/gallery/BA5Fastsigns/keith_refuse?full=1

and you will see the Chamber President holding his copy.

Way to go Darrell and all of the team at Fast Signs. It helps get the message out that this is survivable and that many people are busy just getting things done.

We know there are many others on the web carrying this message...we look forward to reading their ideas and applying the ones that can work in our piece of the world.

Lee K

PS...thanks Greg for passing on the message about Fast Signs efforts.

Terminating the Recession

2009-03-24T15:47:00.001-04:00

This is the title of a tongue in cheek report on the actions of California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger as reported in Computer World today. Now we don't know how accurate this report is, but the sentiments attributed to the Governor are certainly in the right vein. It is reported that at the Hanover CeBIT tech show in Hanover, Germany Arnold declared that we need to "Stop whining over the economy. We have to be part of the solution, not part of the problem. And the only way we are going to do this is by being optimistic and finding ways to stimulate the economy," he reportedly said.

We agree Arnold and say thanks for using your public presence to make the point.

Around our little corner of the world yesterday was a great day with every member of our sales team adding a deal to the board...some small and some larger, but all contributing to the bottom line. We say thanks to our clients who keep on moving forward.

Lee K

Acquisition fuels growth potential for ISP

2009-03-20T11:47:00.000-04:00

One of the purposes of this blog is to highlight activities which businesses take that can offset the impacts of recession. One local business just announced an acquisition of a complementary business which will permit them to grow by 100% over the next two years. On Thursday, Netaccess Systems Inc. announced their acquisition of Clear Advantage Solutions a provider of digital phones, IP cameras and wireless networking solutions. According to Netaccess President, Gary Bannister, the acquisition will help them implement their own infrastructure and expand their offering of internet based products and services.

Way to go Netaccess...growth in these times is well worth celebrating. For more information go to www.netaccces.ca

You rate as our Hero of the Week!

Lee K

A Whole Week with the Stock Markets Up

2009-03-19T11:29:00.000-04:00

How interesting a week can be. Even the commentators are starting to talk about there being light at the end of the tunnel. Sherry Cooper of BMO who was pretty down on the potential for recovery a few weeks ago suggested that we might be seeing the first signs of the bottom of the cycle...Interesting that only 7 days, (actually only 5 stock market days) of positive numbers can change the tunes so much. And even the media is starting to find ways to tell some good news about the economy again.

Another self fulfilling prophesy. We hope so.

Lee K

The Chief Penguin Becomes Our Hero of the Week

2009-03-13T11:47:00.000-04:00

One of the electronic newsletters I really enjoy each month is published by an author from the North East US, called Michael Katz. He calls his newsletter the Blue Penguin e-Newsletter. http://www.bluepenguindevelopment.com/penguinpress/index.html . Today this month's edition arrived and it is a super edition, partially because it focusses on Ice Cream (how can one ignor the value of that), but more importantly for his latest down to earth, practical idea for fighting the recession. I'll let Michael explain the idea, http://www.spendtwentydollars.com/ but we have decided to award him our first, weekly hero's award for spreading this idea and a way that we can all be part of the solution.
What does he win? The satisfaction to know he is making a difference for us all...sorry we don't have anything more concrete than that to give out yet, but we'll work on it.

Have a great Friday and an even better new week to come.

Lee K

Headlines Showing Some Positive News

2009-03-11T11:05:00.000-04:00

Finally today's news has started to include some positive headlines: the local paper included these three...."Markets Soar as Citi shows Profit" and "Jobs Front Stabilizing, Manpower survey sees fair hiring climate in Q2" plus a super short on "Evertz tunes in higher Q3 sales, profits." the substance of that story is Evertz Technologies Ltd., an equipment provider to the television broadcast industry reported third-quarter net profits up from $21.4 million to #24.5 million a year earlier. Sales increased from $64.4 million to $79.6 million. (all figures in Canadian $'s).

The day before we saw an article titled, "Lancaster metal manufacturer booming". Check out the Hamilton Spectator article here: http://www.docucapture.ca/Newleek/advertising/Lancaster.pdf

It is this kind of media coverage which will help people change their attitudes and get everything moving forward.

We want to congratulate some others who have also jumped onto the Anti-Recession bandwagon. Take a look at some of these stories from the Community Marketing Blog

http://communitymarketing.typepad.com/my_weblog/anti-recession-storiestips/

Let's keep that positive attitude going!

Lee K

Some businesses have decided to challenge the assumptions.

2009-03-09T11:42:00.000-04:00

A big part of the negative impacts which are fueling the recession talk is the constant media hype associated with every bad piece of news. We are encouraged when companies decide to counter this trend by promoting a different view of the current world. One of the biggest and most aggressive campaigns we have seen is the Workopolis Positive campaign which they have been running in major newspapers since early January. Their messages (full page in The Hamilton Spectator is one vehicle) include headlines like: "Quell your inner pessimist," or "A viable option to fear," (with a nice side reference to the predictions of Nostradamus), and "A solid alternative to panic" (with a side reference to Chicken Little). There have been many more positive but realistic headlines in their ads which put much of the current economic news in a different perspective.

We think organizations which attempt to bring more reason to this discussion as it impacts everyone do a service to the general temper of the issue. Way to go Workopolis!...hopefully more companies will bring this kind of creative approach to the current situation and encourage people to invest in the solution, not just lament the problem.

Lee K

Why An Anti-Recession Blog?

2009-03-06T11:48:00.000-05:00

In our office we have decided we are just not going to participate in any recession. Pretty audacious right? How can we just decide not to be part....Here's how we decided to do it.

We all decided to go out and seek people who are ready and willing to keep on doing business. We'll work extra hard to make sure they get the support they need and the best prices we can find for them to ensure that their efforts to keep the economy growing are rewarded in our small way. Is this significant? We think so since it is all of the collective small things we can do that make up our economic prosperity. We can't do anything about the big issues but we can do something about our attitudes and how we look at the world...

6% unemployment means that 94% of those who wish to be employed still are working each day
In 1982, the last big recession, the Canadian unemployment rate started at 11% and went up from there...and oh by the way interest rates hovered around 18%.

We know the pain of what is going on right now is real for many people...we can only do what we can to make things better by helping those we deal with each day to get top value for their purchase, great service and encouragement to continue to do business.

Through this blog we hope to be able to provide a place where others who have our kind of mindset can tell how they are taking steps to be part of the Anti-Recession and to celebrate their efforts.

As Y108 radio in Hamilton ON said this morning in their Positive Economic message, "today is a great day to go out and buy a car: the deals are fantastic, interest rates are low and there is lot's of choice..."

Join our Anti-Recession campaign with your comments today!

Thanks for listening

Lee K