The State of Your Business

I run a computer store and my business is off by at least 60% yr over yr.
* last month should have been my notice month - That I will be vacating
the strip center my shop is in, but I decided to hold off for one more month.
just to see.. (Sept09) is currently the month - that is most critical in determining if business is DEAD.
instead of head counting, I give two options for payment... checks and credit cards. and so far in AUG. it was 90% credit cards... something is seriously wrong with Business... whats your take....

Next months ad... is get a free "DONT TREAD ON ME" Flag with every computer operating system replacement. for the first 25 customers, starting sept. first.



[edit on 18-8-2009 by BornPatriot]

while you and I rarely see eye to eye, I have the same business though not retail, and I am in the same boat. Business is way off, better than 65% over three years ago. I started seeing the recession coming about two and a half years ago. I mainly do infrastructure wiring and some sales and service. Nobody has been building new stuff and nobody has been upgrading equipment. People are just limping their systems along. I have a client with over 85 PC's and 5 servers and all systems are over 5.5 years old. I keep putting band aids on, but they won't stick forever. Something has to change.

My business revolves around marketing consulting for businesses selling goods and services to consumers. Alot of what I do involves building complex data models used to predict and segment customer behavior. I started warning my customers back in 4Q2005 that things were headed downward and that they should start thinking in terms of business survival rather than expansion. Very few listened, of course. Several have since closed/gone bankrupt.

Although I'm starting to see really faint glimmers of hope, my business has been on life support since early 2008. As ridiculous a move as it may be, businesses often slash marketing when things get bad. I and everyone I know in my industry have been hammered by this economy. Layoffs have been rampant and alot --- and I mean ALOT --- of my colleagues are out of work.

So in a word we're haning on by a thread.

I am trapped in the 1970's so naturally I went in to the 'Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap' business!

Business has always been good until recently, whether it was the afordable pricing structure that gave real value for the dollar, or when the average person needs a dirty deed done they feel more comfortable turning to an expert to trust the deed too, or there just aren't that many people who can deliver dirty deeds dirt cheap I can't say.

Up until about 8 months ago it really looked like the recession and bad economy was not going to effect the dirty deeds done dirt cheap business, but alas it's taken a tremendous hit! My business is off 65% to 80% over this time last year and two years ago respectively.

Sure I can sleep again now, and don't have to work 7 days a week 24 hours a day keeping up with the demand for dirty deeds done dirt cheap
but I have to worry now about a lot of things I never used to have to worry about.

Do I need to go into the dirty deeds done real expensive business?

That sucks then only the rich could pick up the phone and have a dirty deed done! I hate class struggle.

I worry too, is it just the economy or has some insidious form of love and kindness and honesty broken out destroying the delicate balance of the perfect world were dirty deeds done dirt cheap become attractive to everyone?

Where does it all end this Highway to Hell, business has gotten so bad I have had to resort to dressing Back in Black just to advertise I am that dirty deeds done dirt cheap kind of guy, which frankly wearing all black in Miami...well you might as already be in Hell. Talk about toasty!

Any way if you are having problems with the local tuff,
and you don't know what to do,
He's bothering you night and day giving you the blues
pirck up the phone I'm always home
or make a social call
Come one in will pick on him and have ourselves a ball

reply to post by network dude


I'm a self employed computer service/consultant guy. I can't say that business is down since it's sporadic to begin with. Mainly it's turned into virus and adware removal. What I have noticed is an increase in calls by people checking pricing. I'm almost to the point of just asking them what they think is fair.

reply to post by SpacePunk


I dont think that works either... something more wrong than that...
I resorted to trading skill sets but that doesnt generate revenue...
I tried word of mouth...

In 2002, I Moved to Florida because California sort of cast its stone in the direction of collapse so I didnt want to loose everything I have worked for in my life... so, I figured Florida would have the last great revenue stream -- Social Security -- and that was a good call, until about 4 months ago -- and then something changed -- no more retired folk needing my services, so something hit the senors really hard. now they just look at their computers instead of fixing them.

[edit on 18-8-2009 by BornPatriot]