Economy

What Can Small Businesses Do to Survive and Thrive in Down Economy?

By Maureen Cavanaugh / KPBS Midday Edition Co-Host, Hank Crook / Producer

Published May 13, 2009 at 3:00 AM PDT

This story was published more than 15 years ago.

What Can Small Businesses Do to Survive and Thrive in Down Economy?

What can small business owners do to survive and succeed during these difficult economic time? We speak to the president of the local chapter of SCORE, a non-profit association that offers free advice to small businesses, about the challenges local small businesses are facing right now.

Maureen Cavanaugh: Starting and maintaining a small business has never been a particularly easy thing to do and right now, it's just about as hard as it gets. With consumer spending down, businesses are struggling with issues ranging from how to handle overstocked inventories to how to create a recession business plan.

The group of volunteer small business advisors that make up the organization called SCORE have found themselves pretty busy in recent weeks. Their seminars are filling up with business owners who want to survive this recession, and even with some very plucky people who want to start new businesses despite the economy.

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Guests

Monty Dickinson, president of the San Diego chapter of SCORE. SCORE is a non-profit association that offers free advice to small businesses and entrepreneurs.

Matt Gordon, owner of the Urban Solace restaurant in North Park.

Tags

Economy Business

Maureen Cavanaugh

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Maureen Cavanaugh has been a familiar voice for KPBS listeners for more than 15 years, serving in a variety of capacities including announcer, host, and producer. As host of KPBS Midday Edition, Maureen has interviewed a wide range of notables, such as comedienne Sandra Bernhardt, actor John Lequizamo, author Chuck Palahniuk, composer Marvin Hamlisch, artist Robert Irwin, and designer Zandra Rhodes. But of all the interviews Maureen has conducted, her most special was with His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. Before joining KPBS in 1997, she worked as a news anchor for KSDO and KOGO News Radio in San Diego. While working for commercial radio stations in San Diego and in Salt Lake City, Utah, Maureen reported on both hard news and lifestyle features. Maureen has received three "Golden Mike" awards from the Radio and TV News Association of Southern California for economic reporting and breaking news. She has also received a "Best of Show" and “Best Radio Newscast” awards from the San Diego Press Club and the "Flo" Award from Public Radio Program Directors Association for Best Public Radio Announcer in a large market. Maureen is a native of Queens, New York, but after more than 20 years in San Diego she feels she qualifies as a real Southern Californian.

What do you want to hear host Jade Hindmon talk about on Midday?

Hank Crook

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Hank Crook was the producer for "KPBS Midday Edition" as well as Friday's "Roundtable on KPBS Midday Edition" and KPBS TV's "San Diego Week" until 2011. He produced shows about a wide variety of topics. Some of Hank’s favorite topics include: local politics, economics, the environment and anything sports-related. Hank graduated with a degree in journalism from San Diego State University, and has been a professional journalist in San Diego since 2003. As an SDSU student, Hank served as an intern for the KPBS Radio newsroom. Hank grew up in San Diego, and is an alumnus of Point Loma High School. When Hank is not at work, he likes to exercise, listen to music, hang out with friends and manage his fantasy sports teams.

See stories by Hank Crook