Kim's Blog

2009 Predictions #3

In my previous post (see “2009 Predictions #2” below), I made my second prediction—that innovation is a must.

At the WPO (Women Presidents’ Organization) conference this past weekend, I had the chance to hear a lot of women owners discuss business success in their lives. One of the speakers, Meg Whitman, former CEO of eBay, offered up an opinion that we’re currently in the eye of the storm with the economy. Though this might seem like a dismal prediction, I think it just means that we need to proceed with cautious optimism.

Third quarter will see business loosening up. We’re not in the clear yet. Things will get better, but slowly. I think that we’ll soon see some decisions being made that will help dislodge the transactions that got stuck several months ago. Many of the women I talked with admitted some movement in the last few months. Is this a result of the stimulus package? Regular business practice? Credit opportunities?

Whitman also made the connection that it will be small businesses that pull us out of the mess we’re in. It’s been a tough stretch for all of us, but Whitman seems to think we’ll be the ones to help the country bounce back. I think that if we’re to prove Whitman right, we need to be able to take it upon ourselves to mobilize. We can’t count on an immediate improvement in the economy these days, so we have to be willing to take action ourselves. And I know that’s a big risk at this time, but I wouldn’t be where I am today if I hadn’t swum through uncertain waters throughout my entrepreneurial career.

Check back next week for another prediction.