INTRODUCING AN OCCASIONAL MUSING ON RECESSION-BUSTING ADVICE…  We’re gathering success stories to share with you.

1. This solicitor’s firm says that charities buying buildings will have a new hit from the tax man
2. Yes. Even the Cayman Island charities are feeling the pinch
3. There’s a double blow to charities in the US as the recession caused a drop in donations at just the time their services are in greatest demand
4. Charities like this one in Edinburgh are getting creative to beat the recession
5. Getting too creative may be problematic.  In some US states, Lawyer Ellis McGehee warns,  charities are falling foul of the law in their fund-raising activities, particularly with raffles.
6. Barry Ritz reminds us that we should be thinking more about charitable giving right now
7. Finally, there are charities out there dedicated to protecting you from being ripped off by various online (and offline) scams

1. BGN Entrepreneur says ‘pay-per-post’ blogging is a way to get yourself out of recession blues.  I’ve never tried it - you?
2. Cheviot Charlie’s Marketing Guide thinks the way to get your business through the recession is search engine optimization (SEO).  And gives some useful tips.
3. The oDesk blog tells us which Programming, Development and Design Skills will help techies to Survive the Recession.  oDesk is a marketplace for online workteams
4. Chris of ‘Blogging with Chris’ shares some tips from Partners & Levit, Inc. advertising agency.  Mostly reinforcing the need to focus on customers and the ensuring your ‘brand’ works.  Well ad agencies would say that.  Still true though.
5. Auntie Wahm (Work at Home Mom) reminds us all not to be tempted to reduce prices to compete. So true - focus on value in the eyes of the customer.
6. The Capture Business Profits blog gives some useful pointers to making service pricing recession-proof.  It seems hard, but in my experience these are very good pieces of practical advice - and not just for small businesses.
7. Dr. Tony Youn’ Celebrity Cosmetic Surgery Blog gives us … Seven Plastic Surgery Tips to Survive the Recession.  Go on.  You know you want to.

Future main article topics planned or in preparation on Survive Recession include:

• Pricing in a recession
• Charities and the third sector in the recession
• Soaring impact of late payments
• Recession and the travel industry
• Recession success stories

1. Credit Insurance - good or bad?  Story from nebusiness.co.uk
2. Suggestion that Biotech companies are well-placed to thrive or at least survive in the recession reported by the Boston Globe
3. Good advice from Mrudula Kodali in ITWales on how to make your website fit for the recession
4. New buzzword alert:  “Is Servant Leadershipthe answer to the recession?” asks Ken Blanchard in trainingzone.co.uk
5. The growing crowd of Recession Entrepreneurs talk to The Fresno Bee
6. Momlogic has written a Recession Survival Guide just for mothers trying to protect their families
7. Cathy Mayer’s blog is another one following the ‘Recession can wreck marriages’ theme.  If you’re busy looking here and everywhere for tips to survive, remember it’s not just you and your business life - don’t forget your life outside work!

You may have seen my own Twitter monitor of new ideas and products propagated by individual ‘Tweeps’ as @Idea_Flurry .

A simple search of references to ‘marketing’ and the ‘recession’ on Twitter reveals lots of excitement and possibilities.  Click here to try a search.

If I find any interesting patterns emerging, I’ll be back to post them here. 

Meanwhile, I’ve been invited to CIMA tomorrow for the “Is Your Marketing Profitable?” conference for finance and marketing professionals and will report back on any new insights on surviving (and winning) in the recession.

1. Plenty of opportnities for architects, so says the Architects’ Journal
2. Hmm, mistresses have become the latest victims of the recession, according to the Telegraph
3. Matthew Stuart writing in The Big Money suggests that there will be many more openings for those without MBAs
4. Green Review asks if recycling will suffer and if it’s an opportunity to get people to reduce and reuse before recycling.
5. Great advice from Mary Schmidt: Quit Obsessing
6. RecessionWire is collecting stories on how to survive and thrive in the recession: mostly US-orented, but some useful snips

Finally, for you entrepreneurs looking for new ideas to execute or new products to market, I’ve started a new Twitter @Idea_flurry to capture some of these.  Follow these at http://www.twitter.com/Idea_flurry

1. Some sociologists argue that there’s evidence that a recession can increase ‘happiness’.  Profs Mel Bartley and Andrew Oswald talk on Radio 4’s Thinking Allowed (the listen-again feature will be available for some time - listen in at around the 11mins point).  The general idea is that if there is very public humbling of the very rich, the overall society may be happier as a result. Hmm.
2. The Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC) ran a public seminar on the subject of ‘Recession: Health & Happiness’.  Speakers included Mel Bartley (see 1. above). Anyone catch the meeting and can give me some comments?
3. Irish economist Gerard O’Neill looks at some of the research into the Psychology of Recession and Recovery and makes some very interesting points - not least that whilst the onset of Recession is a macro event, Recovery is a whole series of micro-events as consumers, businesses, banks etc act upon their own versions of increased confidence:
   Psychology Of Recession And Recovery March 2009

   View more presentations from Amárach Research. (tags: ireland research)
4. Another economist berating all the negativity in the press as the very driver of recession in people’s minds is Glen Hodgson of the Conference Board of Canada
5. And from my friends at Shirlaws, business-owners and decision-makers should Thrive rather than just Survive a recession.

1. Marketo thinks that only the paranoid survive a recession.  Links to a good roundup of recession tips for B2B
2. Survive the Recession: Live like a Mexican - being married to a Mexican, can’t but help include this.
3. Kurt Salmon Associates believe they know the secret to retail success in a recession.
4. onrec.com says parents need more flexible working arrangements to survive the recession
5. The Evening Star says Ipswich can survive the recession.  Well, that’s a relief.
6. Building asks if sustainability can survive the recession.  It’s a survey, folks.  Let’s hope there’s an answer.
7. The New York Observer says “Gays Love a Depression”.  The story’s comments are not for the feint-hearted…

Must depression lead to depression?

An old acquaintance popped the question “How’s business?”  He’d never asked this before.  He’d never even shown any interest in my businesses.  Just for a second, I considered answering, “Oh, it’s terrible.  I had to sell the house.  And as for my staff, it’s just too bad.”

Instead I told the truth: that my IT company has just had its best quarter (and best month) ever, and now I’m getting going on the strategy and marketing consultancy, that’s looking very promising too.

So what answer was my friend expecting - or hoping for?  Part of me feels that traditional English reserve demands the “fine, considering!” response from anyone whatever the circumstances.  Or was he influenced by the outpouring of misery in the media - mainstream and new - into requiring his own personal examples of recession troubles?

I don’t really know the answer, and I’m not convinced a trained psychologist could help either.   I do know that evidence of recession is everywhere - the toothless gaps on the high street are already becoming a cliché.  But this is the first big recession in this new age of pervasive group-think.  The thought occurred to me that SurviveTheRecession.co.uk might be part of it.  No.  I’ll keep positive and talk about surviving and flourishing.

As I thought about my friend’s question, I started to see examples of the accepting-recession pysche everywhere:

• retail staff slacking and assuming their bosses would blame the recession
• public sector workers gleefully increasing their sickies
• ditto private sector
• teachers all-too-easily allowing their schools to close - blaming health-and-safety in the snow
• wild price-cutting in stores (not sure that will boost confidence)
• cinemas full to bursting (at least here in Oxford)

In business there’s a general nervousness.  For good reason if the behaviour of the banks in anything to go by.  Our various advisors are telling us to delay payments as long as possible.  Sounds like good business practice - but our customers get the same advice.  Result: everyone’s cashflow is put under extreme pressure.

I’m interested in the ways this psychosis (is that what it is?) will affect behaviours long term - in business, in society.  In keeping with my survival mission,  I’ll look out for positive effects on the psyche.

• will there be a retreat to safety as fear is expressed?  Big brands succeeding?
• signs of much more helpful service staff eager to help their businesses succeed (or just to keep their jobs)?

I must go back to speak to my friend to ask what answers to the “how’s business” question he’s received.

More anon.