Comments on: Three Business Ideas That Will Thrive In A Recession

By: sandy

sandy — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 17:28:13 +0000

is it better to rent or own a home during a recession? also, if you are in a home and know you won’t be there long term, is it best to try to sell now or wait a couple of years??

By: Ron@TheWisdomJournal

Ron@TheWisdomJournal — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 12:28:00 +0000

Very good list of ideas. I especially like the idea to always “Do not be afraid to charge good money for valuable advice.”

Too many times businesses charge for products but then turn around and give services away for free, setting the value of those services at ZERO in the client’s mind. After all, if you’re willing to give it for free…it must not be worth too much.

By: ericabiz

ericabiz — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 21:54:35 +0000

@Frugal Dad - Ride that wave! I hope it is bringing you in some money.

@Dave - definitely!

@Ed - I will be writing a blog post soon on how to get a personal assistant. Keep watching.

@DaveZ - Excellent! I’ve found companies are much more receptive when you pitch a company you’ve worked with instead of adding on the service yourself. I think it has to do with you being perceived as an “expert” instead of a salesperson. If you can find other companies to team up with, that could potentially be very lucrative. Just make sure to negotiate a portion of the fee as a referral fee — even better if it’s every month instead of a one-time fee. I did this at Simpli quite regularly.

@Thinkaloo - Well, sure, why not, as long as people will pay for it? Quality content that is well-presented and informative will always sell well.

Thank you all for commenting!
-Erica

By: Thinkaloo

Thinkaloo — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 14:53:17 +0000

Good advice and ideas that can help your business save money is a good idea. If you shouldn’t be afraid to charge money for advice, what about charging some for your thoughts and ideas?

By: DaveZ

DaveZ — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 13:19:36 +0000

Erica,

Great ideas. I especially like the IT co. in a box idea (my partner and I have a company that does application hosting and have just started thinking about adding a VOIP component).

Thanks for the thoughts!

By: Ed Garay

Ed Garay — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 11:48:56 +0000

Good points about jumping on the economic diet, but I actualkly came here to get your new assistant, yes, that new helper that you claim is making you so much more productive. I want him/her. I need two of them or three. (php and Ajax a plus)

Greetings from Chicago,

By: Dave

Dave — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 04:07:18 +0000

The frugal lifestyle is definitely coming back strong. One related area I’ve seen it is in the number of articles on the art of haggling; not just for cars, but for electronics and even clothes and furniture.

Nice article - thanks!

By: Frugal Dad

Frugal Dad — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 02:52:28 +0000

Funny you mentioned the “grow your own herbs and vegetables.” We wrote about our square foot garden last month and it went viral, wound up on the front pages of LifeHacker.com and del.icio.us. I never would have thought it would be that popular, but you are exactly right, frugal is en vogue again. You called it!