During times of recession, traditionally in America, entrepreneurs often thrive. You always hear the argument of the glass half empty versus the glass half full. It is a statement of perception. I remember when I worked for a fortune 500 company, I dreaded economic recessions. As a member of the sales department, I knew that we were typically the first to go!

What is the difference now? I’ve run into many entrepreneurs in coffee houses near my office and they all seem to share the same sentiment. A bad economy can actually be good for business! How can this be?! The glass is actually half full during a recession for entrepreneurs. Here are the reasons why:

1. You can not get laid off and you are already comfortable with depending on your effort for your income

2. You can get a lot of outsourcing business. As companies downsize, they still often need someone to fulfill the roles of the individuals that have been let go. This is a prime opportunity to sell your services to them at a cheaper rate than an employee would cost.

3. During a recession, especially with higher gas prices, people are more likely to buy locally rather than venture out of there neighborhoods. In these instances, entrepreneurs and “mom and pop” shops actually get more business.

4. You can also capitalize on the reality that you charge less than major corporations, so many individuals will begin to buy from you.

Look at the glass half full during this time of recession. Many great companies were started during similar times!

Earlier in the year, I discovered this small computer called the Asus Eee Pc. At first glance it looks like some advanced texting device or a portable dvd player, but when you take a second look it is much more than that!

The Asus Eee Pc is one of the first subnotebook computers that offers the combination of affordability and functionality. Priced at a meager $350.00 (for the 4gig model) it costs less than most video game systems! Why do I like it so much?

This little computer has a Celeron M processor (900mhz), 512mb of ram, a 4 gig solid state drive and built in WiFi. It comes preloaded with Xandros (linux) operating system, but can be modified to run other strands of linux, windows , etc. It has 3 usb ports, an ethernet port, a serial port, an SD card slot, stereo speakers and jacks for a microphone and headphones. The computer only weighs two pounds, but it packs a lot of punch.

Asus has come out with newer models with more memory since I purchased mine. I recommend this computer to all people in business!! There are many modifications that you can make to the system.

I will explain in later blog entries how I managed to put eeeXubuntu on mine and get it to use my blackberry (Sprint 8703e) as a tethered modem. (this is not a typo! It actually does work!)

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