New Year's Message to all our loyal readers

It has been a while since I posted an article on this blog. Please accept my sincere apologies to my loyal readers for this lapse in communication. I was vacationing in a rural setting savoring the gift of nature, where there was no access to internet or my mobile telephony.

I hope we all had a wonderful festive season and we are all rearing to face this new decade. I am pretty sure everyone has set their goals for 2010; it is my hope and prayer that we shall all realize our goals without any difficulties in Jesus’ name.

AS we start this New Year, and a new decade, it is worth looking back to see how far we have come before facing up to the challenges 2010 has in store for us. 2009 was a year full of mixed fortunes due to the global financial crisis which ravaged world economies. Businesses were the most affected as financial institutions stopped giving credit lines. Many companies were shut down and millions of workers lost their jobs worldwide. The effects of this global phenomenon are still being felt as we enter into this decade.

The prospects for 2010 are just as uncertain, and with historic evidence showing that business failures increase during the early phase of recovery, small business owners are right to fear the immediate future.

2010 will be a year of great potential instability. With economic recovery fragile, with confusing statistics about lending, output, sales and employment, the world has never faced such political and economic uncertainty on the back of a crippling credit crisis.

Notwithstanding this situation, entrepreneurs will not be deterred in their quest for economic recovery. 2010 offers more opportunities for small businesses to fill the gaps left by big conglomerates that winded off their operations or scaled down due to the recession.

For our loyal readers, 2010 will usher in various changes on this blog. We have been working flat out to improve our content for the benefit of all our readers. You will see many innovative business solutions being offered by our panel of experts who are coming in as contributors. We are in the process of taking this blog to a higher level, where our loyal readers will have the opportunity to migrate to free or paid membership. Please watch this space for more details on the changes taking place at Entreprenuer-101.

In closing off, I challenge you to make your life a masterpiece, and urge you to join the ranks of those people who live what they teach, who walk their talk.

God bless you all.