Over the last several weeks I have consulted with about  a half a dozen CEO’s of different sized businesses and a couple of common things  have really stood out:

-          Many business have struggled to survive the  last several years, cash has been tight and sales are down
-          Most CEO’s have also struggled mentally,  emotionally, financially and spiritually as an affect of the economic  recession
-         Their team’s and staff have also suffered as  a result and are fearful of what may happen if things don’t improve  soon
-         We are all making the calls for cash to the  banks, to clients, customers and even friends and family to  survive
-          Many businesses are struggling and suffering  to hang on until things pick back up

Our teams, our customers, our family and our friends can  see the suffering of burnt-out bosses; it’s written on our faces more than we  might like to admit. These things I’ve noted above remind me that right now it  is critical to create a plan and have some faith- for our brand, for our  company, our team, and ourselves.

We need to have a plan in place that will allow us to  succeed and drive revenue- a plan to spruce up if not totally redo our brand and  our companies which have been burning up (not in the positive sense). It’s time  to take some pro-active steps even if they are small ones, to refresh ourselves  and our tired brands. Start by taking a Friday out of the office to focus on  planning, develop a 30, 60, and 90 day action plan to recharge ourselves and our  companies so they don’t become completely burned out.

Taking the small steps now, can bring us through these  hard times and get us where we want to be, whether that is selling our business,  buying another business or just simply increasing revenue. We need action plans  to get us there, and those of us that have them will be that much stronger when  things pick back up again.

Let’s give our teams some faith in the ability of our  brands to produce results. It’s no secret that we are suffering, people see it,  but the positive side is we are all in the same boat, and we all have the  opportunity to work through it to become happier, healthier and ultimately  wealthier.