Many Businesses Are Revving Up for 2011. How about Yours?

What a difference a year makes. Small businesses are heading into 2011 with refreshing energy.

That’s what I heard repeatedly yesterday from fellow Milwaukee-area business leaders during an MMAC Council of Small Business Executives session on the state of small business at year’s end.

One after another, executives said they have a much better outlook than they did entering 2010.

Better yet, they’re building on that positivity by pursuing growth. Planned initiatives include:

• Acquiring new talent.
• Making capital investments and expanding facilities.
• Exploring mergers and acquisitions.
• Emphasizing marketing—especially through technologies such as websites, mobile apps, etc.—to set themselves apart from their competition.

As the chair-elect of COSBE, I’m honored to have the opportunity to be part of the leadership of this vibrant organization at such an exciting time.

Meanwhile, here’s hoping your business shares the optimistic mindset. With continuing good numbers from manufacturing and other areas, we have many reasons to look forward and take action to accelerate success.

Seize the Day, Manufacturers

Is it just us, or is American manufacturing poised to make a solid comeback?

It’s not just us. It’s this Plante & Moran plastics survey. It’s Slate.com’s optimistic take. It’s Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.

There’s other good news, too: Consumers are spending more. And many industries are adding jobs.

Still, negative perceptions about manufacturing persist. Manufacturers can’t rely on a little good press like this and a few friendly blogs like ours to turn the tide.

So, will manufacturers step up and tell their good stories?

Individually, they can and should become much more aggressive at not just pursuing a competitive edge, but also exploiting these advantages through strategic communications. And collectively, they can and should be sure to capitalize on the recent positive developments, to keep the momentum going for the whole sector.

It’s about time that manufacturers got some swagger back.