Auto Repair Shops Find Economic Fix

Detroit might be a bust, but auto repair shops are doing just fine, according to small business data tracker BizEquity.

The firm states that repair and maintenance facilities have grown in value since mid-year 2008, by $4.578 billion and $1.321 billion respectively. Compare that to a nearly $8 billion deflation for new car dealers since mid-year, according to BizEquity.

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Marketing by Example, Part 4

When Pete Wiltjer offered me a front-row seat to the rebranding of his company, I didn't realize it would also be a front-row seat to a catfight. But that's what seems to have broken out in the wake of his crowdsourced logo project.

Since Wiltjer chose his new design last week, our blog comments have seen more sniping than the last 20 minutes of Full Metal Jacket. It's come in all shapes and sizes, mostly from people who are put off by the process or who just flat-out don't like the design. He's more than happy with the results either way, but seeing the backlash has given him yet another chance to show his clients he's willing to take his own advice. "This goes to taking my own medicine," he says. "If somebody wants to write a nasty letter about you, but they don't want to identify themselves, then you don't have any choice but to ignore it. It's like negotiating with Nurse Ratched--you're just going to end up angry and frustrated and nothing good is going to come from it."

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Extreme Makeover: Banking Edition

Earlier this week, an enlightening account of Bear Stearns' sudden collapse hit bookstores everywhere. The title, House of Cards: A Tale of Hubris and Wretched Excess on Wall Street, aims to capture attention, and it says a lot about how the public's opinion of bankers and financial institutions has changed over the past year.

The reputation of the once-esteemed financial services sector is in tatters, and the case hasn't been helped by flagrantly gluttonous actions on the part of industry veterans like former NASDAQ chair Bernie Madoff, who bilked investors out of an estimated $65 million; and ex-Merrill CEO John Thain, who spent $1.22 million on an office renovation (one dubious purchase was a "parchment waste can" that cost $1,400), even as the company was hemorrhaging money.

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Tough Times Call for New Ideas

It's a scary time to own a business, and the knee-jerk reaction may be to just keep chugging along and wait out the financial storm. But that's a risky decision.

This recession is expected to be longer, deeper and deadlier for businesses than any this nation has seen in decades.

The savviest entrepreneurs right now aren't hunkering down. They're rethinking their business models and hunting for new strategies based on the assumption that consumer spending won't be rebounding to prerecession levels and that the types of products and services people want will be much different from before.

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8 Cheap and Easy Recession Marketing Ideas

The squeeze is on for small businesses: How do I conserve cash, but expand efforts to attract new customers and grow sales at the same time? Fortunately, the two are not mutually exclusive. You can do both. Here are some tips and low-cost tactics you can try to cast your net for new customers, and keep those you have:

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