The Venture Edge

Have you been feeling more optimistic about the prospects for your business lately?  Well, according to the  Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index -- a measure of small-business owners' perceptions of their operating environments -- the expectations of small business owners for the next 12 months are the best they have been since July 2008. In fact, the index surged 24 points -- from -28 in July 2010 when the index was last measured, to -4 in November 2010. While a long way from the index's peak of 114 at the end of 2006, the trend is definitely moving in the right direction.

Even though the U.S. Senate is determined to give us all a present on Chirstmas Eve that we'll definitely want to exchange or regift to someone we don't like, I have to say that this is one of the best times of the year. People are out and about--they may not be buying as much this year, but they look happy and less frightened abut the future than they did last Christmas season.  Optimism is a good thing.  Entrepreneurs tend to be optimists who look for opportunities in situations that other less creative types might find daunting.  The cup is always half full, I say..

Make no mistake about it -- the current economic downdraft is having serious consequences across our nation -- and around the globe -- and there is no end yet in sight. However, it's at times like these -- when everyone seems to be placing their bets on a continued downward slide -- that great companies are built, and that sigificance is found. This fact has been borne out time and time again by many of today’s greatest companies, which either began or grew substantially during recessions and/or depressions.