For many small business owners and entrepreneurs it has been a difficult year - a year of uncertainty about customer budgets and employee benefits. Cash flow has been irregular and return on investment scarce, but the 2012 finish line is in sight and confidence for a banner 2013 is starting to blossom.

Let me remind entrepreneurs everywhere -- and women entrepreneurs in particular - the best time to launch a new business is in a down economy! History proves it! In the late 1980s when small banks and real estate crashed, startups flourished and became businesses of stature within five or so years. Following the tech bubble of the early 2000s, while tech companies were on the outs small new ventures in old fashioned business needs and services launched and grew.

The moral of the story is -

You may feel down BUT YOU AREN'T OUT! Pick yourself up and get back in the game. If you are already in business it's time to step back and reevaluate everything about your business. Ask yourself - "If I were starting this business tomorrow what would I do differently?" "How much should I (can I afford) to be paying for rent?" "Which products and/or services are leaders and which are duds, and how can I change my business model to take advantage of my strengths and weaknesses?"

Every small business owner has to look at their business from 30,000 feet every now and then to see what they are missing by focusing on the minutia. (Don't kid yourself every entrepreneur makes the mistake of focusing too much on the details and not on the big picture - if this is YOU - get help - get a business coach - that's it for the commercial!)

Business should be a fluid activity that ebbs and flows on a continuous basis. No one should expect that business will be up all the time or down all the time - so if you are experiencing a continuous downward spiral either change your model or GET HELP NOW before it's too late.

Business should be fun! Yes, FUN! Women entrepreneurs, like Madonna says - are Girls That Just Wanna Have Fun! If this picture does not depict YOU - ask yourself WHY? When did my business stop being fun?

I have proof that women entrepreneurs starting businesses have fun at the startup phase. I see it in their faces, in their body language and in their energy. I also know many a woman entrepreneur who gets giddy during the growth stage of her business. Taking a new risk to build it better and stronger. And, then finally, there is nothing more enthralling than to be part of the exit strategy process with a woman entrepreneur who is ready to move into her next chapter.

So, for all the women entrepreneurs racing to the finish line of 2012 with a grimace on their face please turn that frown upside down by the knowledge that you are not alone - there is help if you ask for it and there are others feeling your angst. But, more important, the truth is there is no real finish line other than the one you have in your head. As long as you are in business every day is a new day. A new day where you have a chance to try something new and take your business in a new direction. If you aren't constantly invigorating your business with new ideas then you are risking your opportunity to compete in a changing marketplace. There is always someone somewhere waiting to enter the world of entrepreneurship with new found excitement for business.

Do what you have to do to stay ahead of the curve and on top of your game in your niche - keep it fresh and make 2013 your best year yet.

Final thought: Yours is the energy that makes your world. There are no limitations to the self except those you believe in.”
- Jane Roberts