Stay Close to Your Competition

In the next 1-2 years, we will see "mom and pop" locations struggle because of the economy. This is an opportune time to build relationships now, because in the future your competitors will turn to the competitors they know, like and trust to service their existing client base, when they exit their businesses.

If you do not have a relationship with your competitors, you need to consider meeting them and getting to know them. It is difficult to build the trust and confidence in a distress situation.

Key Concept: Keep your competitors close to you. Visit them. Build a relationship. There is virtually no downside in doing this.