Optimism???

Don't give up, Pat K.! Keep smiling optimistically and you will find me smiling optimistically right next to you.

Just call me Little Mar Sunshine. ;)
 
Who's "they"????

In my post "They" are the gov't and advertisers when I refer to the lies. Media was lying about the state of the housing bubble since real estate was their largest advertiser. As long as housing was a blip and not a catastrophe they got paid to run the ads.

The gov't lied in an attempt for the "Optimism" to catch on. It did in the form of speculation that fuel demand would soar so invstors ran up the price. All commodities suffered the same fate since during strong growth they would be heavily used. Proclaim strong growth and the stock market bubble grew.

My store was built for the coming recesssion when I opened so I just get busier. Three more shops closed in August and their customers came to me. Several others closed earlier in the summer as well.

Didn't those businesses have the absolute right to the truth from the gov't. Two shops that closed opened in the spring. If the gov't had been honest they wouldn't have lost everything chasing a lie.

Some things are oprimism but most are just blowing smoke up our skirts.
 
Nic, didn't you relatively recently move to a more secluded, quieter location?

When I moved the 100+ yards off the side street onto main street my business went way up. I imagine if I had moved the opposite direction I would have had a similar, though opposite direction, business change.

Get the buzz going on your business. Put out a "forgive our remodeling" sign. People seem to flock in the door when I have the moulding torn off the wall or the lid off the paint can... Just sawed a hole in the wall for a heating vent and I was busier that day than I had been all week :)

maybe you could cover every surface in the shop with tarps and have a "wet paint" sale...
 
Stay Positive....but live in the truth

I was a framer who had to close a few years back. Luckily I had a previous career in MIS to fall back on.... But as you all know ...the overall fundamentals of our country's economy are not good ....and the government is spending alot of money which is softening this reality.
Bottom line problem is that our country can't compete in a global economy.... good paying jobs are draining away from this great land. I see it everyday in my business. People from India and China come over here to our company to learn what we do. They call it "KT" (Knowledge Transfer).Most groups now have sent at least 50% of their jobs over to India/China. The money these jobs used to generate here (most are 6 figure jobs) for domestic employees is no longer spent here. Its gone. Its in India and China. This is happening every day and in most large companies. A good friend of mine in another large bank is right now training his replacement. He has 2 kids in college. Its like someone opened a drain on a full sink of water. ...but this is the Truth for many people today.

What does this mean for us?
Our country is at a turning point now....I know you all feel it as I do. Something is just feels wrong... The current state of the economy won't get better until the fundementals are addressed. We have to compete globally or its not going to be good. Thats our truth.

So stay positive....live in the truth and be hopeful that someone in this country will start work on correcting these fundamental issues ....



In my post "They" are the gov't and advertisers when I refer to the lies. Media was lying about the state of the housing bubble since real estate was their largest advertiser. As long as housing was a blip and not a catastrophe they got paid to run the ads.

The gov't lied in an attempt for the "Optimism" to catch on. It did in the form of speculation that fuel demand would soar so invstors ran up the price. All commodities suffered the same fate since during strong growth they would be heavily used. Proclaim strong growth and the stock market bubble grew.

My store was built for the coming recesssion when I opened so I just get busier. Three more shops closed in August and their customers came to me. Several others closed earlier in the summer as well.

Didn't those businesses have the absolute right to the truth from the gov't. Two shops that closed opened in the spring. If the gov't had been honest they wouldn't have lost everything chasing a lie.

Some things are oprimism but most are just blowing smoke up our skirts.
 
Jeff, I don't accept conspiracies here. The media, people in government, and the rest are no different than the average schlub, perfectly capable of believing that reae estate prices don't go through cycles. I do accept that certain factions in government in their liberal ignorance, pushed lenders into behavior that had enormous consequenses, when the inevitable cycle came to pass.
 
Stay positive and watch your dreams and hard work slip right though your fingers.........

Stay positive and clean everything in your shop...... that way when you have to sell everything its easy to get out the door. :D

Stay positive and beg and plead your landlord to let you pay them late so you can TRY to get more people in the door.......

STAY POSITIVE by all means and be happy when that customer you have waited OOOOOOOOH so long to come in..... looks you right in the eye and says... "Do you know where I can get it cheaper?"

Stay positive of course......... while bills keep piling and piling up......... while your choking down your lunch of saltines and water.

YAh....... stay postitive..... sure...... yep....I'll get right on that one.
 
Who's "they"????

Sorry Pat M, I thought you were talking about the "they" in my statement meaning customers. Now I realize it was referring to Jeff's statement about this "they" :

quote_icon.png
Originally Posted by Jeff Rodier
Problem with broad optimism is it creates bubbles. Remember when gas prices were low the economy was O.K. but since they were lying to us about growth gas prices soared. That's when the economy tanked again. I would prefer honesty over optimism any day.
 
Throw a couple Trillion into the economy and declare that the recession is over. Every news story declares real estate prices have increased but don't mention what the numbers mean. Sales are up so the bottom has been reached. Use this $8k housing incentive so you don't miss ou the lowest prices we will ever see. The gov't will regulate after the fact rather than throw a monkey wrench into the good times in real estate.

How many people have lost everything due to these non-truths. I personally know hundreds that would have benefitted from honest information. Many wiped out every dime of equity they had built in their home, cashed in savings, closed out 401K's and pensions to get a piece of the pie.

So many people who were finacially secure for life were wiped out by the lies. I worked in the industry and dealt with regulators who were only concerned with cashing checks and issueing licenses. They knew the truth but did not want to slow the revenue stream. Buyer beware was the mantra but there was little or no actual information being shared. Bernie Madoff would be proud to have them as employees.
 
Over this past year I have noticed that the mood of my customers seems a little better than a year ago. I can go an entire day without hearing how terrible the economy is and who's political party is to blame. Last weekend I was at Don Mar Days and the mood among the New England Framer's was great.
I am seeing many new faces come into my shop this summer and, for the most part, they all seem happy. I have spoken with some of the other small businesses in the area and seem to agree. I am taking this as a sign that perhaps the worst is over. Is this the feeling everywhere? Or am I just lucky.

I just wanted to remind everyone why this thread was started. Evan has seen a change in the attitude of his customers. So have I and many of the shops who call are saying the same thing.

Jeff, we all know why the economy tanked, but dwelling on it and constantly bringing up the very negative aspects of the well known facts does not help anyone. If you want to start a thread about how bad things are, then do it, but please let this one be about what it started out to be....a reason to be optimistic.
 
I can't control the economy or the fallout that results.

I can control my own attitude and how I relate to those I come in contact with.

There are so many things to be thankful for that overwhelm my troubles. I choose to focus on those things that are uplifting.

Prayer of St. Francis

[SIZE=+1]Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness...[/SIZE]

Desiderata
 
I can't control the economy or the fallout that results.

I can control my own attitude and how I relate to those I come in contact with.

There are so many things to be thankful for that overwhelm my troubles. I choose to focus on those things that are uplifting.

Prayer of St. Francis

[SIZE=+1]Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness...[/SIZE]

Desiderata

Great message Dave. I too love the prayer of St. Francis. It kind of puts things in perspective. Thanks for reminding us of the important things that really matter.
 
Optimism

I absolutely agree with Pat K. A positive attitude creates that reality. Every morning I am thankful for the business we have and love what we do. We have a successful store that has gotten busier every month and are now opening an additional store because we believe in ourselves and our potential. Our attitude doesn't depend on China or Greece or the Fed. What matters is that people like to patronize a winning business that has employees with a great attitude. If you are walking round with a black cloud over your head, it will affect everything you do in your life. That's a universal truth.
 
Back
Top