The direction of your business is completely in your hands. The economy is not behind the steering wheel, you are. The time of year is not making the decisions, you are. There has to be some accountability when running a small business. Not to sound too harsh, but the big boys can make excuses all day long if they want because they have the money, the manpower, and the investors to keep it going regardless. But the small business owner has to be a totally different breed. A gladiator of sorts, that takes on any challenge in front of them, no matter how insurmountable the odds may seem. For in these clutch moments, true success is born. Lets face it. . . if you are an entrepreneur, you don’t really have the option to make excuses. You only have two options. . make decisions and succeed or make decisions and fail. Even in the failure, you can rebuild and know not to make the same decision again. So in essence you really only have one viable option. MAKE DECISIONS. Believe it or not, the number one tool of an entrepreneur is the ability to act. That, in itself, is something that most people refuse to do in day to day life so you can imagine how unique the ability must be when dealing with choices that will effect finances or even the success of your dream. But these are the things that need to be done. Even in hard times, there are choices that can keep your head above water long enough to weather the storm. Stay focused on the customer. If your first instinct in a hard time is to slight your customer, then business may not be your thing. Placing the blame on numerous circumstances and then quitting is also the complete opposite of what should be done. Think of what will be best for what customers you still have. . and do it. That simple. Keep the product or service the same, if not improved, and possibly change how you  market that product, or who you market that product to, and you will be surprised at how significant the resonse can be. Even crazier, talk to your customers.Reach out to them for truths that need to be heard, and stand by your brand no matter what. A little bit of guts, a lot of hard work, and the ability to connect, can pull any small business out of the darkest hole.