| A question I get all the time is "How Can a Virtual | | | | increased revenue by $223.3 million, according to Ibis |
| Business Help Me Survive the Recession"? | | | | World. |
| Unemployment is not letting up, businesses are not | | | | 5. Local Businesses: Demand is exploding for locally |
| hiring. The best way to survive the recession is to take | | | | grown and made a product--which means more |
| advantage of the economic turmoil and start a | | | | support for mom-and-pop stores. The dividend: For |
| business. Not just any business, but a virtual business. | | | | every $100 spent at a locally owned business, $68 |
| The benefits of a virtual business are endless. To | | | | comes back to the community. Only $43 re-circulates |
| mention a few: | | | | from national chain stores |
| 1. Low cost to entry | | | | 6. Education: Huge numbers of people are going back |
| 2. Speed to market | | | | to school--ducking the bad economy, retraining for new |
| 3. You can work from home | | | | jobs, even reinventing themselves completely |
| 4. You can run your business remotely | | | | 7. Parental Outsourcing: Taking care of the kids, |
| 5. You can hire virtual employees | | | | scrubbing the toilets, checking in on Mom, helping with |
| Therefore the answer is, start a virtual business! | | | | homework, coaching Little League--more people than |
| According to Entrepreneur.com, these are the 10 | | | | ever are paying professionals to do their domestic |
| hottest trends to watch for 2010. Not all of them can | | | | chores. The trend even has a name: Parental |
| be set up as 100% percent virtual businesses, but their | | | | outsourcing. |
| entire back-office and operations can. | | | | 8. Health and Wellness: Home care was the No. 1 |
| Here is the list: | | | | growing industry from 2004 to 2009, averaging yearly |
| 1. Economic turmoil: Results from Challenger, Gray | | | | increases of more than 7 percent, according to Ibis |
| & Christmas' job market index revealed that 8.7 | | | | World. In-home care already employs a staggering 1.33 |
| percent of job seekers gained employment by starting | | | | million people, and revenue is expected to grow |
| their own businesses in second quarter 2009 | | | | beyond $72 billion by 2011. |
| 2. Green Power: Thanks to government incentives and | | | | 9. Texas: Texas dominated 2009's lists of best |
| changing public sentiment, clean energy is the most | | | | relocation destinations, home-building markets and |
| popular kid on the green movement block. The stimulus | | | | job-creation cities. This very magazine also named |
| plan poured billions into renewable energy. | | | | Austin one of its own Best Cities for Small Businesses. |
| 3. The Senior Market: According to the U.S. Bureau of | | | | 10. Affordable Alcohol: The alcoholic beverage industry |
| Labor Statistics, the aging-services industry composed | | | | has been growing steadily for the past three years |
| of home healthcare, elderly and disabled services and | | | | and is expected to reach a record $455 billion in 2009. |
| community care facilities for the elderly make up three | | | | You can see an example of a real sustainable, |
| of the top 10 industries with the fastest employment | | | | successful virtual business (100% virtual and paperless) |
| growth. | | | | at groupbenefitagency. |
| 4. Discount Retail: In 2009, secondhand shops | | | | |