Peter's post on signs of a turnaround was certainly welcome to most of us, but those of us who decided not to participate in the recession in the first place did not wait for recovery signs before starting or growing our businesses. Nevertheless, it seems we may not be in the majority .  Today during an interview, a reporter told me that my view of California's competitiveness going forward and the ability of entrepreneurs to be successful in a down economy was quite contrarian compared to some of the entrepreneurs he had interviewed.  In brief, what I said was that entrepreneurs generally learn how to survive and grow no matter what the economy is doing if--and this is a BIG IF--their business model is sound and they are meeting a real need in the market.

He then proceeded to recount the dismal story of an Internet company that had been "in business" for two years, but probably wouldn't be around after December if the economy didn't turn around.  I asked him to describe the business, which he did (essentially a tool for screenwriters that would help them format their screenplays--I'm sure I've seen this two dozen times) Bingo! It was very clear to me that if the business failed, it wouldn't have anything to do with the economy.  No - it would be because of the complete lack of a business model.  No one was willing to pay for what the entrepreneur was offering because it didn't solve a real pain!  You can't blame that on the economy!