Michael Gerber of the E-Myth fame states that most starting out business-owners or entrepreneurs make a fatal assumption which is: "if you understand the technical work of a business, you understand a business that does that technical work". And guess what! This just isn't true, it's the core issue of most small business failures. The technical work of a business and a business that does that technical work are two totally different things!

Here’s even more proof to support Gerber. Brian Tracey states and please don't forget this - The basic truth is that most people who start or manage a business simply don't have the skills needed to make their business profitable. It's not their fault. They just haven't been informed about what they need to do to build a profitable business.

Chet Holmes says it this way - Why does one person open a bakery and you go back 30 years later and basically they have made themselves a job not a business. Another person opens a bakery and in ten years they have six locations and cash-out as a multi-millionaire. The difference between these two is not the bread they sold. It is the skill and the learning curve of the entrepreneur. Knowing what to do.

In conclusion, if you are a hair-dresser, a carpenter, a fashion designer, a auto-electrician, an accountant, a web-designer, a grapic-artist, you pretty much went and learnt your skills through some form of formal training, apprenticeship or on the job training.

Now when you decide to open your own business to offer your skills that you have spent perhaps years learning, you become excited and may be a bit, hmmm!, am I doing the right thing.

Here's is the distinction I want to make, what about learning the skills to operate a very profitable business just as you had to learn your skills before. The most important skill set you require for your business is in understanding and applying Direct Response Marketing.

If you are concerned about economic uncertainty, decreased sales, reduced profitability, poor cash flow and the pressure being applied to your level of income because of increasing fuel prices, rising interest rates which are not your fault, then it's time to remove that nauseous gut-wrenching feeling of worry and helplessness that resides in the pit of your stomach.

To be blunt it's time stand up and be counted. Stop looking at circumstances and take responsibility for your business and your families livelihood. Become the leader not the follower. If you choose to tolerate an environment of economic uncertainty then you will never get up enough gumption to tackle it. In other words, you will choose to be accepting of whatever happens as opposed to making it happen. Because you do have a choice. You can create the outcome and circumstances you desire with diligence and persistence.

Only focus on what you can control and stop focusing on what you have no influence over.

You do have a sphere of influence with your business and how it impacts the economy. Use it.

Defend your business against against economic uncertainty. Don't roll over and accept the incorrect assumption that you can't do anything about it. Why bother operating your business and investing your time, capital, energy and taking calculated risks if you have no control over your investment. Don't allow the wolf of economic uncertainty to blow your business away. He may put up a good fight, though only for a period.

It was Anthony Greenbank, who said in “The Book Of Survival” : “to live through an impossible situation, you don’t need the reflexes of a Grand Prix driver, the muscles of a Hercules, the mind of an Einstein. You simply need to know what to do”.
 
And knowing what to do resides in the available knowledge of what others have already done in similar circumstances.

You will learn more about your business, your clients, your customers and more about yourself during this period of economic uncertainty that may well blossom your business for the better. The benefits of which may well translate into a more enjoyable business operation for you and your customers.

Also you will stand tall and proud for protecting and guiding your investment, keeping your business clear of the jagged rocks because you you took the initiative to get knowledge to navigate your business through these dangerous waters of economic uncertainty.

It is imperative that you set up your monitoring, measuring and reporting systems so you can analyse and plot your current position to safely navigate these waters. 

It is time to seek out your ship of knowledge and together fight back. You are not sailing alone.

• the impact of increasing fuel prices on consumer spending;
• the impact of rising interest rates;
• sales are decreasing;
• not enough profit;
• inadequate cash flow;
• not enough personal income;
• not getting enough customers in the door
• difficulties finding and keeping staff/can't find good people;
• the current economic climate; and
• that the economy is likely to be weaker one year from now.

Question: which of these areas can you as the business-owner impact, have some control over?

What would you like to change about your current circumstances?

You feel your business livelihood or very survival is at stake because of economic uncertainty.

Now’s the time to get your house in order because business confidence has fallen sharply during the past quarter and is at its lowest level since 1991 when Australia was in recession.

Business-owner perceptions of the current state of the Australian economy continue to fall dramatically, with business-owners believing that the Australian economy was now slowing and also feeling that the economy would be worse a year from now. That is, continue on into late 2009.

If you do not regularly monitor and measure results and performance of every element of your business and your marketing plan and you do not adjust, replace, improve, modify areas or activities whenever performance drops or does not exceed specific targeted benchmarks that hopefully you’ve established, then you may find you're operating your business with a high personal level of stress. Please note, that not only does stress negatively impact your quality of life it also plays a big role in debilitating, lowering your decision-making abilites.

Would you prefer peace of mind or stress? 

If you prefer peace of mind then protecting your business & your family’s livelihood is just a matter of knowing what to do.

Seek out the best knowledge on what to do.

Banks gear up to move on financially stressed business clients because they expect to see small business insolvencies hit record levels later this year due to economic uncertainty.

Now’s the time to get your house in order because business confidence has been hurt by climbing fuel prices, the lack of available credit, and weak consumer spending.