When a company wants to promote a new product or a celebrity or politician gets themselves in trouble, one of the first things they do is hire a public relations firm to spin the story.  That’s exactly what’s happening with the recession.  We’re seeing press releases from the government telling us how much better things are.  How we’ve almost hit bottom with the recession.  Now I agree it is good news the economy is no longer in free fall.  But let’s keep in mind unemployment is still predicted to reach over 10%.  It’s going to be a long time and a long climb to get people back to work and get business moving again.

If you want accurate information about the recession, take a look at news articles about the companies who supply business.  For instance: Wall Street Journal article on Friday, July 24^th with a headline that reads, UPS Offers Dim View As Weakness Persists. United Parcel Service’s second-quarter income fell 49% on continued weak demand.  They state conditions have yet to substantially improve.

Another headline example in the Wall Street Journal on Friday, July 24^th was: Union Pacific Figures Full Recovery Is Still Far Off.  The railroad company’s freight has dropped significantly over the last year.  Although they see stabilization, Union Pacific believes a full fledge recovery for shipping remains well out of sight.

So take a look at any company that supplies business.  You’ll get a read on where this recession is going.  If the suppliers of business are not increasing their volume then the businesses they supply are not producing more goods and services; therefore, they are not hiring more people.  When the companies start hiring or calling their employees back to work that’s how we get out of this recession.

In the meantime, make sure you are keeping your costs in line, improving your operations, increasing your sales effort and getting prepared to take advantage of the upturn in business when it comes.