November 26th, 2008.

It’s a little too late to stick the head in the sand, plug your ears and sing la la la while people tell you about the tough economy. Whether you chose to participate or not, for many of you this years Christmas/Hanukkah cards you send as a company will likely be your last.

Now those are some ugly words to say out loud but if there is anything you’ve learned from me and this blog it should be that business decisions are made on logic, research, surveys, risk calculations and business plan delivery / management.

If it prompted an emotional response – sorrow, anger, misery, frustration, a fatwa written in your blood – the paragraph above likely doesn’t apply to you so you should stop reading right…. here.

For years I’ve used this blog to publish what I thought was the right thing to do, the mistakes I see people make, the mistakes I’ve made, the relationship management with the partners, customers, resellers, vendors and the general business of technology.

I think it’s time to look at the endgame of sorts.

In the past month I have been invited to half a dozen conference calls and peer groups and user groups to discuss how to operate a business in a tough economy – most of which I’ve had to pass on because you operate the business in the tough economy in much the same way you operate it in a great economy – you diversify, you spot opportunity, you form the right partnerships, you grow conservatively and seek out profit over hype. Some people consider this blog too tough (on me, on OWN, on partners, on vendors) so saying the same thing I’ve been saying for years at this point is just an equivalent of beating a dead horse. (no pun intended)

But what about those of us that aren’t screwed? We can learn a lot from the complacent Grasshopper IT companies that were able to ignore the fundamentals of business just because the demand for their services outpaced the supply.

So join me in the next few days, through the Vladville Newsletter, as I break down the lessons learned from the downturn and how that has made those of us that are still growing far more powerful. Newsletter is free, open to everyone, is not meant to sell you anything – but there is a catch, you have to participate.

Happy Thanksgiving, thank you for reading Vladville.

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