Small Business Boomers

I’ve been collecting good news and bad news – signs that we are in a recession (bad news) and signs that we are not (good news).  More bad news signs out there than good news ones right now.  Here are some examples:
On the bad news side:

A friend just returned from a big convention in Las Vegas.  Last year there were 60,000 people at this convention; this year there were 40,000.
He also noted that the casinos had many tables closed and the minimums on the tables are low, which means not as many gamblers.
My husband and I went to WalMart …read more

No Comments

var iamInit = function() {try{initIamServingHandler(420,420,326910,”http://cdn.pis.picapp.com/IamProd/Resources/Css/css2.css”)}catch(ex){}}()

No Comments

Today is Black Friday.  The official start of the holiday shopping season.  Some are predicting a dismal season.   Lots of bargains will be available, I predict.  But should all of us rush out and spend money or not?
Although it hasn’t been officially announced, we certainly are in a recession.  Defined as two consecutive quarters of negative growth in the economy, a recession is clearly underway. With the decline in home values, the hit we Baby Boomers took on our retirement funds, and the media’s constant bad news, it’s no wonder the predictions are for a dismal holiday shopping season.
According to …read more

1 Comment

My husband and I have a favorite restaurant.  We go there at least once a week, usually more.  We just realized last weekend that we haven’t been there in two weeks.  The reason – we decided to eat out less.  And it appears that many other Baby Boomers are doing the same thing.
var iamInit = function() {try{initIamServingHandler(234,159,255966,”http://cdn.pis.picapp.com/IamProd/Resources/Css/css2.css”)}catch(ex){}}()
When we were children, my husband and I remember, eating out was a rare treat.  When we traveled in the summer with my father (a service representative who traveled every week), we thought it was cool to go to Howard Johnson’s for every meal.  …read more

3 Comments

We are not in a recession.  For proof, I offer Exhibit A:

I was in a “big box” national pet store on Friday (Halloween) to get my cat groomed.  I couldn’t believe how many people were there buying Halloween costumes for their pets.  If people still have enough discretionary income to buy this stuff, we aren’t in a recession.
For a recession-proof small business, run a pet store.
Image source: Newscom

1 Comment

var iamInit = function() {try{initIamServingHandler(234,351,134181,”http://pis.picapp.com/IamProd/Resources/Css/css2.css”)}catch(ex){}}()
I went back to school at age 53 to get a PhD.  I thought I was too old, and that I would be learning alongside kids.  I was surprised to find that most of the people in the school were baby boomers, just like me.  And we aren’t alone.  According to the University Continuing Education Association, over 60 percent of the students in public undergraduate institutions and 50 percent at private schools are “non-traditional.”
Why do baby boomers go back to school?
1.  They have been “downsized,” a nasty little euphemism that doesn’t tell the whole story of …read more

No Comments