[small business owner] If your business fails during a recession, its your fault. This bears repeating. Its not the economy, stupid, its you. Dont use the recession as an excuse. If youre not surviving its because you werent doing all that you should have during better times.Resist the bunker mentality—if you wait until the tide turns, you will drown. Instead, take action: cut costs, get aggressive about sales and fire mediocre workers. Continue to invest in areas of your business that will generate growth.Dont play the victim. Do everything you can to take care of your business—work harder, faster and smarter than the competition by a factor of 10. As long as your business has a pulse, its in your power to turn things around.